Truck

I was filled with gratitude after reading Truck, by Michael Perry. I loved all these things…the cultivation of seedlings in the middle of winter, the preparation of whole foods, straight from the garden in the summer, the restoration of a 1951 International Harvester, falling in love with a woman and her child, the wedding and Perry finally coming to terms with what marriage and commitment mean to him. It is beautiful and real and I am warm and glowing with the simple abundance of what it means to make your way in this life.

I have read all of his other books, and I think what I like most about Perry is that he forces me to challenge my own stereotypes about things like hunting, gun ownership, small town folks, big city folks, and more. One moment my red flags are going off, saying, oh boy, this rant about gun rights is starting to betray you as a social conservative, and the next minute he is describing, in the same beautiful terms used for heterosexual couples, the love between gay couples he knows, and denouncing that anyone be deprived of their partner’s health insurance or rights to hospital visits.

And it is here where Perry works most strongly on me, in a theme that runs throughout his work: Be careful! We are human and complicated and our tendency to label and categorize each other into one camp or another is at best oversimplification, and at worst, just plain dangerous. And if you fall prey to stereotypes and rigid beliefs about people, you are really missing the mark in this life.

Ring the Bells That Still Can Ring

The June 2009 issue of Oprah has an inspiring interview with Elizabeth Edwards.

I found Elizabeth’s strength and positive attitude particularly inspiring, especially given the death of her 16-year-old son in 1992, her ongoing struggle with terminal cancer, and the public infidelity of her husband John Edwards.

Here are some parts of the interview I really liked:

Painted above a doorway leading into the home’s master suite is a verse from the 1992 song “Anthem,” by Leonard Cohen. Befitting this moment in Elizabeth’s life, the lyrics are an ode to human frailty and transcendence:

Ring the bells that still can ring. Forget your perfect offering. There is a crack in everything. That’s how the light gets in.

AND this excerpt from Elizabeth’s new book, Resilience:

This is the life we have now, and the only way to find peace, the only way to be resilient when these land mines explode beneath your foundation, is first to accept that there is a new reality.

I haven’t read her book, but I believe she is talking about accepting the present moment, instead of struggling against what is…dwelling on what could have been or what should have been. Resisting what is will drain you of all your strength. I began my practice of trying to remain in the present moment after reading Eckhart Tolle, especially in the years right after my mom had a stroke, and I was overcome by grief.

Elizabeth is a wonderful example of how your grief and your struggles can make you stronger, if you’re willing to learn and to forgive.