Lazy W Marie

Carpeing all the diems in semi-rural Oklahoma...xoxo

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Archives for January 12, 2012

Thursday Potential (Small Stone January 12th)

   After what might have been the deepest, most solid sleep I have enjoyed in weeks, maybe months, I sit here on Thursday morning facing a long, solitary day that pulses with incredible possibility. It is thrilling.
   Snow covers the ground, not deep and fluffy, but crusted and bitterly cold, probably something closer to ice. Yet the sun is bright, loud in his brightness, defiant of the single digit temperatures. I feel grateful to not have to drive anywhere today, fortunate that my place in this world is a cozy one, a safe, happy, meaningful one. 
   Over the next eight or nine hours, what improvements can I make in our little corner of the world? What reaching out can be done? How much can I strengthen our foundations and adorn our dreams?
   Choosing how to funnel my abundant energy is often my biggest daily challenge, and today is no exception. but today it is a motivation, not a burden. Today the possibilities are potential.
   I cannot help but wonder how much of this feeling has to do with my hair being freshly washed and blown dry.
   

Before I Go To Sleep (a book review)

   Our fabulous little book club’s current selection is set for discussion this coming Saturday night. I just polished off the last page tonight after dinner, and I am giddy. You know that feeling after you finish a book that has exhilarated you since page one? No dry spells, no slow, laborious climbs to action or understanding? Some books leave me exhausted; this book has left me inspired, though not in the spiritual sense.
Introducing
Before I Go to Sleep
by S.J. Watson
Before I Go to Sleep: A Novel


   Okay, I do not groove spoilers. I will try to keep this short and sweet. 
   I would recommend this book to a wide variety of audiences, with the simple caveat that it offers up some salty language, violence (though nothing we don’t see in a standard PG movie) and the full spectrum of marital relations. Ahem. 
   Would I approve of my two beautiful teenage daughters reading this? No. But I do think they are both intelligent and sensitive enough to appreciate the story behind the scenery. 
   The premise is that a woman, the speaker of the book, has lost her memory and must live day to day rebuilding it (at least enough to survive and maintain hope) from what she has managed to write in a private journal. As the title suggests, her memory is wiped clean every night when she sleeps. Just take that in for a second and imagine the awful implications, the far reaching consequences of losing both your long term and your short term memory every single night.
   Whew.
   How could a book like this be inspirational? I’ll tell you. I am freshly inspired to treasure my memories, both good and bad, and to be grateful to be an active, viable liver of my own life. Captain of my ship, if you will.
   Watson builds suspense better than Stephen King, in my opinion. He must be incredibly gifted to be able to write such a complex story from such a limited perspective, and using such a repetitive format without causing the reader to get bored? Wow. And the ending is delicious… 
   Okay, that’s it. Anything more and I’ll be flirting with spoilers. Have you read this yet? I would love to hear your thoughts! Haven’t read it but want to? If you’re interested I’ll lend it! My loaning policy is that each person must write his or her name and a quick review on one of the inside covers. Circulate as much as you want. 
Books are meant to be Read a Lot!
Cherish your Memories!
xoxoxoxo