I always have a book or two on the go. This week I’ve been reading two very different but equally intriguing memoirs.
I love a good memoir or autobiography. To read a person’s story in their own words is fascinating to me. What they choose to tell, where they focus the story, what they leave out. The two memoirs I’ve recommended most often are “Wild” by Cheryl Strayed and “Stories I Only Tell My Friends” by Rob Lowe.
I’m currently listening to “The Bassoon King” by Rainn Wilson. You probably know him better as Dwight K. Shrute from The Office. The audio book is read by Rainn, and it starts from his birth and rolls along through childhood, high school, and into his life as a young actor living in New York City in the 1980s. I’ve just started the chapter where he moves to LA, so his fame era is still to come.
He’s a person of deep faith, and he had some wild times as a young person who grew up with an intense focus on theatre and acting. He didn’t come from money, but he ended up in the right place at the right time more than once.
I like to read about the reflecting he does on the choices he made and the things he’s learned along the way.
I’m also reading “Surrender” by Bono (of the band U2). I’ve already heard a lot of his stories because my husband is a super-fan of the band. But in this book I observe that Bono has gained more humility and wisdom as he’s aged. He’s very self-deprecating, which doesn’t mesh with his ego-driven persona as the lead singer of one of the biggest bands in the world.
Both men write about their long-time wives with much appreciation and respect – well-deserved for two women who are very accomplished in their own rights. I’d actually like to read a memoir written by each of them – Holiday Reinhorn and Ali Hewson.
Sometimes I think that I’d like to write a memoir of my own. I have moments where I write down stories and memories, and then I have long periods of time where I do absolutely no writing. The problem is this: writing is really hard! It’s much harder than it seems. The idea of putting together the story of my life in a coherent fashion that would be interesting to anyone else is daunting.
I’m currently taking a coaching course called Positive Intelligence, where the focus is on identifying our Saboteurs and activating our Sages (the wise, rational part of our minds). This week’s lesson is around learning from the negative things that happen to us as a way of bringing forward our Sage thinking.
As I read these two memoirs, it’s interesting to see where each person is able to look back and pinpoint where a huge disappointment was actually a gift, or where they learn the most from a situation that seemed like the worst possible outcome. There are truly no overnight success stories.
What are you reading right now? Drop the title in the comments.
The Paris Apartment for Bookclub, Surrender by Bono - a Christmas gift from my daughter, Ikigai - the Japanese secret to a long and Happy Life.