View from a Blue Bike

I always intend to do a better job of consistently blogging about the books I've read and then life gets busy, I end up with my nose in a book and a month has gone by without a post.   Lately, I've been into audio books as well, which has increased  my reading by so much but I'll save my post about the merits of Audio books for another time.  Today, I want to share one of the books I just finished reading.  It's just recently been published.  That alone is something for me to blog about, I usually hear about a book after it's been on the best seller list for several months.  The name of the book is View from a Blue Bike by Tsh Oxenreider.  She subtitles it, "the art of living intentionally in a chaotic world" .   The book appealed to me on so many levels and as I read, I found myself at times, remembering the past and yet, dreaming about the future.  

Tsh has a unique way of looking at life.  Much of her wisdom comes from the opportunities she has had to live internationally and witness first hand, the slower pace of life compared to the fast pace of the United States.  She also has the unique perspective of working for herself, which does afford more of a sense of control over her schedule.  What made me want to savor every page of her book was the fact that she is so authentic.  She didn't push a value system on me, she didn't claim to have it all figured out, she just shared what had worked for her family and in doing so allowed me the opportunity to think how it might work for mine.

Tsh is in a much different phase of life and parenting that I am but living intentionally is something that I've been trying to do myself. Sometimes I'm pulling my family along for the ride, but as they are becoming adults of their own, sometimes I'm just hoping they are watching me lead by example. And as I ride off on my own "blue bike", (mine's actually white), living intentionally will bring each of us to a closer understanding of what life was meant to be.

The Glass Castle

Several years ago a friend recommended I read "A Glass Castle by Jeannette Walls.  It went on my wish list but I never seemed to make it a priority.  This year, as I started the "Empty Shelf Challenge", I also wanted to try and go back through my wish list and read recommended books as well as some of the classics.  As I read the Glass Castle, I found myself wondering, why I waited so long to read it!

The author shares her life story in a way that touches every fiber of your body and makes the reader sit up and evaluate what it means to overcome.  The amazing part is, she does it with humor and a sense of purpose that in spite of her life circumstances, you are drawn in not with anger but with compassion.

Ms. Walls grew up in what we would now label a dysfunctional family; but at the time, it was all she knew.  The extreme poverty did not define her, nor did her alcoholic father, or challenged mother, instead, she used each circumstance to build her own strength and character.   Her vivid descriptions, place the reader in her "home" in the desert, or her "home" in West Virginia.   Whether she is baking in the Arizona heat or freezing in the West Virginia weather, she recognizes her value and challenges herself, her siblings, and yes, her parents to be over-comers.

As I look back on my own childhood, I recognize that each of us are shaped by the circumstances of our growing up years but we are also each made stronger through whatever adventure we are thrust into.   Ms. Walls allowed me to see that my past, whether 40, 30, 20, 10, or 5 years ago shapes who I am but becoming who I am is defined everyday.   As I fill my shelf this year, in addition to making sure the shelf doesn't remain empty.  I want to clear off the shelf of the clutter that isn't making room for more.  I want the shelf to be full of a new past-one that labels me just as the author demonstrates; full of unconditional love.