Updated Book List

For those who care... ha!

1.  Wind, Sand & Stars, Antoine de Saint-Exupéry
2. The Little Prince, Antoine de Saint-Exupéry
3. The Sun Also Rises, Ernest Hemingway*
4. A Farewell to Arms, Ernest Hemingway*
5. The Lord of the Rings, J.R.R. Tolkien*
6. Under the Banner of Heaven, Jon Krakauer
7. The Nigger of the 'Narcissus': A Tale of the Sea, Joseph Conrad
8. Afterwards, You're a Genius, Chip Brown
9. Fire in the Mind: Science, Faith, and the Search for Order, George Johnson
10. The God Theory: Universes, Zero-Point Fields and What's Behind It All, Bernard Haisch
11. Animal, Vegetable, Miracle: A Year of Food Life, Barbara Kingsolver
12. Anna Karenina, Leo Tolstoy
13. One Hundred Years of Solitude, Gabriel García Márquez*
14. The Abolition of Man, C.S. Lewis
15. Tortilla Flat, John Steinbeck
16. The Elegant Universe, Brian Greene
17. Celebrity, Laphram's Quarterly Volume IV Number I
18. Sex, Drugs and Cocoa Puffs, Chuck Klosterman

Almost halfway done.  It's painful to not be able to start new books right now.   However, Nick and I are reading The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy out loud together, so I have some variety.

Updated List of Books I'm Reading (with More Books!)

Last weekend, almost everybody that I hang out with was out of town.  At first, I was kind of bummed out about it but I took advantage of my free time.  I went through my apartment and donated about 1/3rd of the stuff I had.  

I also reorganized my bookshelf and found more books with bookmarks.  So, here's an update:

1.  Wind, Sand & Stars, Antoine de Saint-Exupéry
2. The Little Prince, Antoine de Saint-Exupéry
3. The Sun Also Rises, Ernest Hemingway*
4. A Farewell to Arms, Ernest Hemingway*
5. The Lord of the Rings, J.R.R. Tolkien*
6. Under the Banner of Heaven, Jon Krakauer
7. The Nigger of the 'Narcissus': A Tale of the Sea, Joseph Conrad
8. Afterwards, You're a Genius, Chip Brown
9. Fire in the Mind: Science, Faith, and the Search for Order, George Johnson
10. The God Theory: Universes, Zero-Point Fields and What's Behind It All, Bernard Haisch
11. Animal, Vegetable, Miracle: A Year of Food Life, Barbara Kingsolver
12. Anna Karenina, Leo Tolstoy
13. One Hundred Years of Solitude, Gabriel García Márquez*
14. The Abolition of Man, C.S. Lewis
15. Tortilla Flat, John Steinbeck
16. The Elegant Universe, Brian Greene
17. Celebrity, Laphram's Quarterly Volume IV Number I
18. Sex, Drugs and Cocoa Puffs, Chuck Klosterman

I am actually pretty excited to finish all of these books.  I rearranged my bookshelves in such a way that my main shelf is color-coordinated (an idea I picked up from Kadin's sister) and the bookshelf next to my bed has a row of unfinished books, in the order I would like to read them.  

My "new" bookshelf! I am so proud of this.

One thing I am constantly working on in my life is making the effort to follow through.  This book project is kind of a huge deal for me... a big step toward being more focused.  So, I am going to try to not be discouraged that my list became 50% longer!

"It was character that got us out of bed, commitment that moved us into action, and discipline that enabled us to follow through." - Zig Ziglar

Books I am Reading

I have been known to read multiple books at a time, but this year things got out of hand.  Way out of control.  I have decided to compile a list of books I am currently reading.

1.  Wind, Sand & Stars, Antoine de Saint-Exupéry
2. The Little Prince, Antoine de Saint-Exupéry
3. The Sun Also Rises, Ernest Hemingway*
4. A Farewell to Arms, Ernest Hemingway*
5. The Lord of the Rings, J.R.R. Tolkien*
6. Under the Banner of Heaven, Jon Krakauer
7. The Nigger of the 'Narcissus': A Tale of the Sea, Joseph Conrad
8. Afterwards, You're a Genius, Chip Brown
9. Fire in the Mind: Science, Faith, and the Search for Order, George Johnson
10. The God Theory: Universes, Zero-Point Fields and What's Behind It All, Bernard Haisch
11. Animal, Vegetable, Miracle: A Year of Food Life, Barbara Kingsolver
12. Anna Karenina, Leo Tolstoy
13. One Hundred Years of Solitude, Gabriel García Márquez*

* Reading for the second (or third) time

And I hereby declare that I will finish all of these books before starting a new one.

I have never limited myself like this but I think I need to teach myself a lesson about following through.  I am actually looking forward to eventually only reading a book (or two) at a time.

Then I shall go to Oxford and never return! 

Chapter 22 of The Life of Pi

Chapter 22 of The Life of Pi

"I can imagine an atheist's last words: "White, white! L-L-Love! My God!" - and the deathbed leap of faith. Whereas the agnostic, if he stays true to his reasonable self, if he stays beholden to the dry, yeastless factuality, might try to explain the warm light bathing him by saying, "possibly a f-f-failing oxygenation of the b-b-brain," and, to the very end, lack imagination and miss the better story. "
-Yann Martel 

Loving My Body

Honor yourself as a unique expression of the universe. 

This isn't a direct quote, but it is my interpretation of an idea found in the book Yoga From the Inside Out: Making Peace With Your Body Through Yoga. The book was given to me by my dear friend, Ally.  I have struggled with different kinds of eating disorders for over a decade, something I have in common with the author of the book. 

I started reading the book at Ojo Caliente, a mineral springs resort.  I thought it was a wonderful place to begin my journey toward self-love and acceptance of my body.  At Ojo Caliente, hundreds of visitors pass through, and almost everybody is wearing just a bathing suit. 

Normally, in that situation, I would compare my body to every other female's body.  To me, that is normal.  However, Yoga from the Inside Out celebrates individuality and urges us not to become too attached to our bodies.

My healthy body takes me to beautiful places. 

To accept my body, fully, is difficult.  In addition to issues with my weight, I have always wanted to be shorter, taller, have better hair, better eyesight, better skin...etc.  But wanting these things doesn't mean I will have them.  All it means is I will spend time that I could be happy wanting something that is impossible. 

"Never compare your inside with somebody else's outside." Hugh Macleod

There is no such thing as perfection.  Perfection is always relative. The perception of beauty will always be in the eye of the beholder.  Real beauty radiates from the inside. Negativity, toward others or the self, displaces the potential for more love and beauty in any moment. 

After reading Yoga from the Inside Out, I want to have a healthy and realistic view of my body.  It's still a very conscious effort for me, but I have noticed in the past month, I have been more relaxed about the way I look.  It hasn't changed the way I look on the outside, but has increased my sense of peace on the inside.

"We are not human beings having a spiritual experience.  We are spiritual beings having a human experience.-Teilhard de Chardin