I read this book over my spring break. It was given to me by one of my friends/colleagues.

She gave it to me because I just loved Cheryl Strayed’s memoir called Wild

I got so many lessons out of her novel so my fellow teaching friend gave me this one called Tiny Beautiful Things.

I thought, “oh geez, a self help book!” Well, it’s not. But it kinda is. The best kind. It’s a “self help” book full of real human experiences, empathy, compassion and love. It’s an incredible compilation of Cheryl Strayed’s advice column called “Dear Sugar“. Awesome.

Here are a few of the most meaningful quotes I took from the book. Enjoy! I read them daily and I am filled or reminded to be filled with compassion, kindness, empathy and love on a daily basis with my precious students, colleagues and other fellow human beings I encounter each day.

“Within the chaos of our shame and disappointment and rage there is meaning, and within that meaning is the possibility of rescue. “

“Attention is the first and final act of love, and the ultimate dwindling resource in the human arrangement isn’t cheap oil or potable water or even common sense, is it MERCY.”

“It’s what most of us have to give a few times over the course of our lives: to love with a mindfully clear sense of purpose, even when it feels outrageous to do so. Even when you’d rather put on your steel-toed boots and scream-love.
Give it. You won’t regret it. It will come out in the reckoning. “

L. O. V. E.

“But compassion isn’t about solutions. It’s about giving all the love that you’ve got. So give it. Have the guts to feel lame. Have the guts to not have the right words to console someone.”

“Or just close your eyes and remember everything you already know. Let whatever mysterious starlight that guided you this far guide you onward into whatever crazy beauty awaits.”

“The future has an ancient heart.” I love it because it expresses with such grace and economy what is certainly true-that who we become is born of who we most primitively are; that we both know and cannot possibly know what it is we’ve yet to manifest in our lives.”

OH MY GOODNESS. THERE ARE SO MANY. I’LL POST THESE FOR NOW AND MORE ANOTHER DAY.
What a great read. These help me every day as I focus on the little growing humans I interact with and even the “grown-ups” that I see daily.

Last one…
“And in the meanwhile, cultivate an understanding of a bunch of the other things that the best, sanest people on the planet know: that life is long, that people both change and remain the same, that every last one of us will need to %*#! up and be forgiven, that we’re all just walking and walking and walking and trying to find our way, that all roads will eventually lead to the mountaintop.”

We could all be reminded every day to remember these bits of advice just by looking out our windows at these trees. Hopefully everyone has a tree near to remind themselves.

My sister sent this video to me.  It is about 50 seconds long.  If we all started our day this way each morning, what would the world be like?

 

I guess it comes with age? I don’t know. Acceptance. I used to think as a human being, as a teacher, as a woman, as a wife, as a student, as a friend (those are just some of the roles I’ve played in life so far) I had so much more control over the people, places and things in my life. I’ve now realized otherwise. I don’t have much control and I need to just accept all the people, places and things for what or who they are. I used to be really bad at that, especially with people. My students and my husband in particular have really helped me learn a lot about acceptance and accepting everything and everyone for what it is or who they are. Thank you students and husband. You’ve taught me to surrender, relinquish control and know that ALL IS WELL.

And I thought so differently about acceptance after reading Wild by Cheryl Strayed. See short video with Oprah here. what Cheryl Strayed learned after hiking the Pacific Crest Trail