This month’s non-fiction book was “The Gifts of Imperfection” by Brene’ Brown. If you haven’t listened to or read anything by Brene’ Brown, I would encourage you to do so. I borrowed the audiobook from the library and listened to it. One of the challenges of listening to audiobooks is that I usually listen while I’m driving and it’s hard to take notes.
Some of the things that stuck out to me from this book are:
“We are worthy of love and belonging right now. As is.”
If you aren’t familiar with Dr. Brown’s work, she talks a lot about shame. One of the phrases she uses is “shame storm”. Which is where we are so ashamed of something that has happened that we are beating ourselves up endlessly over it.
The solution? Talk about it with someone we trust. That person has to be someone who has earned the right to hear your story.
Another thing she said that stuck out to me is “Shame is the birth place of perfectionism”. As someone who constantly struggles with the need to be “perfect”, this made a lot of sense to me.
Then there is “foreboding joy”. That is the feeling that things are going too well and “the other show is going to drop” at any moment. Not sure about any of you, but I have definitely experienced that.
The last thing I want to mention is the concept of enjoying life’s ordinary moments, because that is the place where joy lives. I am already well aware of this as it is what often carries me through my grief, is remembering the ordinary moments that have been shared with loved ones.
Like I said, if you haven’t read or listened to anything by her, please do so. What she says makes a lot of sense to me, and maybe it will to you as well.
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