The Places That Scare You

A dear friend of mine recently gave me this book, The Places That Scare You ~ A Guide to Fearlessness in Difficult Times by Pema Chödrön, author of When Things Fall Apart (which I am very interested in reading as well).

Initially when I heard the title of this book, I thought, "I do NOT want to read that right now." Which is about as good a sign as any that I needed this book in my life right now. The following week when I met this friend for lunch and she bought me the book, I was significantly warmed to the idea, and have thus far enjoyed the first 10 chapters.

I highly recommend this book because it is simple, and honest. It isn't materialistic, or unrealistically optimistic. It gives hope in the truth it brings to light regarding "both our clarity and our confusion." Here are a few quotes I love thus far:

From Chapter Four, Learning To Stay

"It gives us a way to move closer to our thoughts and emotions and to get in touch with our bodies."

"Meditation takes us just as we are, with our confusion and our sanity."

"Trying to fix ourselves is not helpful. It implies struggle and self-denigration."

". . . training with kindness results in someone who is flexible and confident, who doesn't become upset when situations are unpredictable and insecure."

"We need self-compassion to stabilize our minds."

"We want to dissolve the barriers between ourselves and others."

"The energy of passion when it's free of grasping is wisdom that sees all the angles."

From Chapter Five, Warrior Slogans

". . . self-compassion and courage are vital."

"When we are denigrating ourselves, do we know it? . . . Do we realize that the suffering we feel is shared by all beings?"

From Chapter Seven, Loving-Kindness

"Rather than nurturing self-denigration, we begin to cultivate a clear-seeing kindness."

From Chapter Eight, Compassion

"Only when we know our own darkness well can we be present with the darkness of others."

From Chapter Ten, Finding the Ability to Rejoice

"The key is to be here, fully connected with the moment, paying attention to the details of ordinary life."