Rant, Rave, Review

Rant

Actually, I don't have anything to rant about, but the word fit so well with the title that I had to use it.

If I were to try to rant, it would probably be something along the lines of wishing it were easier to communicate than to miscommunicate, and the old "why can't we all just get along?!" line.

It's especially difficult to teach communication skills to small children who don't even understand their own thoughts and feelings- and if I were a better communicator, it would really help. Not saying that in regard to anything specific. Just noting that it is a rant-able topic.

Ok, so I guess I found a rant. :) I'll stop now.

Rave

I am currently knitting a pretty little Spring Cardigan for my book. I am absolutely loving it. The yarn is so perfect, in color, texture, softness, drape. Everything I want this yarn to be for this sweater, it is.

It is The Unique Sheep's Pima Petite, in colorway "Prince of the Wood Elves" from the Lord of the stRings Sock Club.
In my opinion, the best cotton yarn ever. It is actually a joy to work with. Immensely soft, not hard on your hands because of the inelasticity, gorgeous drape- in short, everything you want from a cotton yarn. I don't see any other cotton ever replacing this as my favorite.

I got this yarn 2yrs ago with a vague idea in my mind of what I wanted. I am finally getting to play with it, and the vague idea didn't totally materialize when I needed it too, so I sat down with a sketchbook, some old sketches that I knew wouldn't work well as they were, and a stitch dictionary. I am loving what this is becoming. I really hope you do too.

Review

I have just had the pleasure of reading a book authored by a friend of mine. (I get to say I know an author, now. And not just know him, he played piano for my wedding. I feel like a little fan-girl now. *grin*)

"An Imperceptible Spark, Finding the Courage to Live a Life of Joy"

By Steven Rice

In this book, Steve shares his journey to joy with us. The beginning of the story is one a lot of us can identify with- feeling trapped, in a rut, running as fast as we can to nowhere we want to go.

As Steve shares throughout the book, the rest of the story can be full of joy and peace, rather than the frustration and emptiness we may be anticipating.

Unlike a lot of Motivational or Self-Help books, Steve doesn't tell us to change what we are doing- rather, we should be changing how we are thinking. I love this. Our thoughts have such a profound effect on what we do, how we do it, and most of all, how we feel. In a lot of cases, we have no control over what is happening to or around us, but we can have control over our minds.

Another aspect Steve talks about in sharing his journey is gratitude. Gratitude is an attitude changer. Another point I love that he makes here. Gratitude helps you fix your focus where it needs to be, and brings joy in difficult times.

I confess I'm not giving this book a 5-star review. But the reason for that is not because it is not a good book. I think it is. It is well-written, it is an easy read- I don't feel like I'm slogging through a bunch of technical or spiritual terms I don't get- I like the format, I enjoyed the extra quotes (and fully intend to copy some of them for my wall); but theologically/philosophically, I just could not agree with some of the points. For me, that knocks off a couple stars, but that's an issue with my worldview, not an issue with the writing or the book. I am glad I read this book. I learned from it. It's worth reading for sure.

At the end of the book, Steve reveals to us that the search we are on, in the end, is not completely about joy and peace. It is a search for............ oh, sorry, you'll have to read it to find that out.

The book is available through Amazon (link to the Kindle edition above), or Barnes and Noble.