Dear Friend,

Yesterday I opened the used book store where I volunteer on occasion. I walked into the dark building and stood there for a second to soak it all in. Wake up everyone, I said to the books before turning on the lights. I was so excited to be there, to work for free, and to see what new books had been brought in and to see who walked through the door that day.

This morning it was raining and I took a walk down the road named for the nearby creek. I found the creek by following the sound of the water and I not only found the creek, but a huge array of wildflowers thriving at this almost-hidden water source. The cows in the field nearby watched me with caution as I made my way back up the road. Then I ran into the most beautiful white rooster. He greeted me with a "bupp bepp bupp"....which I think can be translated to "leave the premises" by the way he was acting.

The more I experience the simple life, the more I am in awe at how rich it is. It isn't a simple formula either, the simple life is different for everyone. But I think the broader formula involves stripping out all the stuff that means very little in the grand scheme and finding what fills your life with authentic joy. Joseph Campbell said:

Follow your inner heart and the world moves in and helps.

Last week, I crashed and totaled a rental car, right before I was supposed to speak at the Blog Elevated conference. I had butterflies about speaking and I think the butterflies were set free in the midst of deploying air bags and twisting metal. Funny how that works sometimes. I'm just content to be back home this week, happy to be back in the quiet town of Bryson City. But at the same time I'm so happy I went to Galveston, TX...to get out of my comfort zone and stretch myself to new places. Stretching is growing. And growing is life.

Enjoy the weekend. Take a walk. Wake up your books. Yield to traffic when needed. Life is not rocket science, unless maybe you are a rocket scientist. And in that case, I am in awe.

Love,

Ashley

P.S. If you've received this letter secondhand, you can leave your email address here to receive my weekly letters.

God is kneading you like clay

molding your stubborn will to be supple in his spirit

let him shape you

there is coming to you

the grace of a new self understanding

perhaps even the peace of a new self-acceptance

you will be learning who you are

all by yourself

-Robert A. Raines, Living the Questions

...read more...

I've read all three of these books multiple times, given them as gifts, and refer to them often. If you are looking for books to spur your creativity, give some direction on writing, or just want to start a journal or diary, I recommend these: