Books are...

"Books are the most wonderful friends in the world. When you meet them and pick them up, they are always ready to give you a few ideas. When you put them down, they never get mad; when you take them up again, they seem to enrich you all the more."

— Fulton J. Sheen (Life Is Worth Living: First and Second Series)

The Essential Rumi

On my nightstand is a book housed in an ornate book cover... all different shades of fiery orange designs strategically placed on it. The book is called The Essential Rumi. I bought it in a used bookstore in downtown Vancouver quite few years ago. I was looking for a book of poetry, but I was also looking for something unique, something that was meant to be read and not just shoved away somewhere like some of my books that I tend not to see very often once I have gotten through them the first time.

And luckily, I opened the front cover of this particular book to find a message scrawled out in thin, black letters filling up a whole page- a letter between two friends who were strangers to me, but somehow I feel connected to them now. Maybe it's because I think I needed the message myself. It read:

Sabrina,
Happy Birthday!
Whatever you do, do not put this book on a shelf, or with poetry.
Put it anywhere
- your kitchen, living room, bathroom,
anywhere where you might pick it up some time,
read a poem,
a sentence, a word.
This is not poetry,
It is life, wisdom, love,
insight, enlightenment.
and nothing at all.
Jochem

I have no idea who Sabrina is, but I wonder what varied emotions she must have felt as she read this book. And I think she is lucky to have a friend like Jochem who obviously has a great appreciation for words. He explained the magic in this book better than I could have.

Since I bought it, this message reminds me to pull this book out and allow all the secrets that it holds to spread into my room, providing imagination and depth to me and my surroundings. It was this message that really sold the book to me. I felt like it was meant for me to take, to adorn my bedroom, my life, my days, and to give me words, wisdom and enlightenment to wake up to every morning.

This month, I have been making sure that I read at least one of Rumi's poems each day. It's the first thing I read, the first thoughts that I put into my head, each day. And though I am often tempted to read on, into the next poem, I try to hold myself back. I realize that one a day is more than enough to soak in, ponder, and let slip under my skin and into my thoughts and dreams. Sometimes, even one line of Rumi's is enough to send me dreaming. And I'd like to give those lines time to settle inside and around me.

Thank you to the two strangers whose message drew me to this book even more. Maybe I should write a message in any book I give away so that my words may also attract some new reader, some new eyes who might connect to me and the book before it is even begun. Funny how the message made me feel connected to the people and also the world, just as Rumi's poetry often does... bringing me back to my connection to not only other people, but to the earth and the divine.

If you get a chance, read this book, and the next time you pass on a book, even to a bookstore, write a little message in the front cover. You never know how it might affect or even change someone's life.

Books and authors really do connect people, and so do the people reading their words.

"Experience that breathing. From books and words come fantasy, and sometimes, from fantasy comes union."
- Rumi in "A Children's Game"

"Books are as essential as breathing. In my experience, when going down for the third time, it was often word-to-word resuscitation that saved the day."- Sarah Ban Breathnach in her August 21st entry in Simple Abundance.

"We read books to find out who we are. What other people, real or imaginary, do and think and feel is an essential guide to our understanding of what we ourselves are and may become."- Ursula K. LeGuin

Books don't just take you OUT of this world. They can also give you a sensibility towards the world in which you already live.

I remember an aquaintance of mine telling me a few months ago to get out of my books, stop living in books, and go out and live. I think I felt quite defensive at first, but then realized that this person was obviously not an avid reader, or perhaps he hadn't found that book- you know the one- the one that changes your whole idea about reading and books. The one that makes you hunger for another, and another and another. The one that turns you into a life-long reader.

Because I owe much of my curiosity, my excitement and interest in the world, my creativity and love for travel to books. I didn't know how to explain to this individual that books don't take me out of the world, but instead, take me to worlds I didn't know could exist, open my mind and heart to understand and appreciate and be sensitive to all kinds of people and places. And they make me even more excited to be living, to learn and to explore what is out there in our real world and to invent and play with the idea of creating something new.

Books can make you feel, dream and even take action in unexpected but exciting ways.

Anne Lamott describes these sentiments so well in this paragraph in her book Bird by Bird:

"Because for some of us, books are as important as almost anything else on earth. What a miracle it is that out of these small, flat, rigid squares of paper unfolds world after world after world, worlds that sing to you, comfort and quiet or excite you. Books help us understand who we are and how we are to behave. They show us what community and friendship mean; they show us how to live and die. They are full of all the things that you don't get in real life--- wonderful, lyrical language, for instance, right off the bat. And quality of attention: we may notice amazing details during the course of a day but we rarely let ourselves stop and really pay attention. An author makes you notice, makes you pay attention, and this is a great gift. My gratitude for good writing is unbounded; I'm grateful for it the way I'm grateful for the ocean. Aren't you?"

Perhaps somewhere, along the way, that aquaintance I mentione above will be introduced to a book that will make him answer with a yes.

I know that will always be my answer.

Sarah Ban Breathnach- Simple Abundance and Something More

"Reading books changes lives. So does writing them."- I'd like to add that so do the authors writing them, because Sarah Ban Breathnach, the writer of the above quote, has definitely changed my life on several occasions. And I have a feeling that she will continue to have such an impact well into the future.

The first time I ever picked up one of Breathnach's books was many years ago. I had never heard anything about her. I didn't know who she was; no one had recommended any of her books to me.

But I do remember that during that time, there was this restlessness in my life. I didn't think that there was anything in particular going wrong, but at the same time, I felt as if something was missing. I just kept thinking that I wanted "something more". Do you ever have that feeling?

Well, sure enough, I'm at the bookstore, and which book ends up staring me straight in the face? I'm not kidding you, the book was called Something More and that's when I first heard Breathnach's name, because she was the author.

As I said in my previous entry, sometimes, I think books pick YOU just as much as you pick them. And Something More set me on a path of self discovery and alleviated some of the guilt I was feeling about wanting more than I had. In fact, it got me excited to dream big and pursue some of the things I was afraid to in the past.

And as time went on, I started realizing that my wanting more came from not being satisfied or truly happy with myself or the relationship I was in at the time. I was thinking so much about the other person, trying to make him happy, that I was losing sight of what I really wanted and who I really was.

That's when I discovered Breathnach's Simple Abundance.

I love that this book is written as a journal - one entry for each day of the year. And I can still remember moments in my life when I didn't know where to turn, or needed a push in the right direction, and the words that Breathnach had written for that day kept me going, helped me find my way.

Simple Abundance is a book that talks about finding your authentic self. It's a book that reminds us not just of how important that self is, but also gives tips to women on how to find that self. Breathnach uses her own real life experiences- anecdotes, lessons, jokes, tears and fears- to teach others how to be grateful for our surroundings, how to care for others, but also how to nurture ourselves. And she takes us through an inner journey that is truly life changing if you remain open to it.

That first year that I read Simple Abundance, I think I read more than one entry per day because I just couldn't get enough of Breathnach's words, and I was so touched by the way she seemed to understand our hearts and minds, and souls. And once I reached the end of the book, and saw Breathnach's mailing address in the book, I had to write to her. I thanked her for sharing her stories with others, for writing down her words, for being so insightful and for being part of the strength that got me through a tough time in my life.

And you know what? She wrote back. Sarah Ban Breathnack actually took the time to write me a real letter back, not an email, but a letter in the mail- the old way. It consisted of a few words, but her words were heartfelt and humble. And just as real as the authenticity she so encourages in her books.

Sometimes, my copy of Simple Abundance gets put away and I forget about it for awhile. I think maybe it won't have the same impact it had on me way back when I really needed it. Maybe that book just reached me so deeply back then because of what I was going through.

But without even realizing it, this book has continued with me over the years. I used her gratitude journal idea in my classrooms when I was teaching kids, as well as with friends for personal growth. And I still use it for myself to this day, to help me appreciate what is around me.

There is also an illustrated discovery journal that Breathnach has created. You can either purchase it (or simply make one of your own), that gives you space to explore scrapbooking, collaging and creating with pictures and magazine clippings to discover the dreams that are buried in your subconscious. I know that many of those pictures pop up in my head from time to time, to allow me to see what I really want in my life, rather than focusing on others' expectations. And I create some of those collages over five or six years ago.

It seems that no matter how much time it has been since the last time I read Breathnach's book, as soon as I pick it up again, it speaks to me and show me what is important. It reminds me to keep true to myself, and it inspires me to dig deep inside myself to see the magic and beauty of life.

This year, I wanted to pass on Sarah's words to others. So I have begun by sending out her entries, one by one, to friends of mine, starting on New Year's day with her January 1st entry. Thank you to those of you who have sent messages of appreciation for the emails. And I hope that those I haven't heard from are enjoying them as well. Though I would love to continue to pass on the entries each day for the full year, I think a month or so of them might be doable for me. I am typing each entry out and three hundred and sixty five days of this might be a little too much.

But I hope that my starting you off on this might make you want to go out and get a copy of the book yourself (You can even check out used bookstores. Many of them have Simple Abundance on the shelves for 10-15 dollars). Trust me. It is well worth the investment.

I bought the Man's Journey to Simple Abundance many years ago too out of curiosity. But I gave it away because I never got myself into it. Though the copy I was referring to above is aimed at women, there is this men's version out there as well (if you are interested for yourself, or want to buy it for a man - husband, brother, father, friend- in your life). If anyone gets their hands on it, and gives it a read, let me know what you think. If Breathnach is as insightful about men as she is about women, you know it will be a great read.