Earlier this week, I finished reading “Tiny Beautiful Things” by Cheryl Strayed. The book is a lovely compilation of letters from Strayed’s advice column at The Rumpus. I’m a huge fan of Cheryl’s writing because her words are so real and honest.
I don’t hold onto many books because I love giving them away to friends. However, I’m going keep “Tiny Beautiful Things” for future reference. I suspect that I’ll read certain columns over and over again. Strayed’s columns reminded me that it’s important to hold onto love and hope, especially after experiencing hardship and loss. By holding onto those things it’s possible to find beauty in everyday life.
To get a tiny taste of inspiration, read a few of my favorite quotes from the columns:
“If you asked me to draw a picture of myself, I’d draw two. One would be a portrait of a happy, self-confident, regular-looking woman, and the other would be a close-up of a giant gaping mouth that’s ravenous for love.”
“Our minds are small, but our hearts are big.”
“Trust yourself. Trusting yourself means living out what you already know to be true.”
“Nobody will protect you from your suffering. You can’t cry it away or eat it away or starve it away or walk it away or punch it away or even therapy it away. It’s just there, and you have to survive it. You have to endure it. You have to live through it and love it and move on and be better for it and run as far as you can in the direction of your best and happiest dreams across the bridge that was build by your own desire to heal.”
“Acceptance is a small, quiet room.”
“ . . . the people who don’t give up are the people who find a way to believe in abundance rather than scarcity.”
“My grief is tremendous but my love is bigger. So is yours.”
Buy a copy of this book or check it out from your local library. It’s engaging, honest, and real.
Be well,
Tammy
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