I read a wonderful piece by Anne Lamott that resonated with me on many levels. I was so moved by this article, “A Users Guide to Aging”, I thought I would share it with all of my PTFW Book Club friends.  And then, I had an even better idea…I decided to write a short piece myself about the article and share it in the PTFW Newsletter so it could inspire even more women!

If you’re not familiar with Anne Lamott, she is a prolific American writer, political activist, public speaker, and writing teacher. She is the author of twenty books, both fiction and nonfictions. I’m not alone when it comes to being inspired and moved by Lamott’s writing. Lamott’s life was documented in Freida Lee Mock‘s 1999 documentary Bird by Bird with Annie: A Film Portrait of Writer Anne Lamott.

I particularly like Lamott’s take on books: “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, 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. Books for me are medicine”.

My friend greatly admires Lamott, saying “Lamott writes from a place of authenticity. It seems to me her writing is “ego free,” down-to-earth and very relatable.” Lamott says of her own writing, “I try to write the books I would love to come upon, that are honest, concerned with real lives, human hearts, spiritual transformation, families, secrets, wonder, craziness—and that can make me laugh.”

I hope you enjoy “A Users Guide to Aging” and that you will share your thoughts here.