Let your life speak

You know what?

It’s fine that I am a wuss. (See last post).

Everyone has their strengths and weaknesses. Everyone has something to offer.

Yesterday I was so tired that I didn’t do anything all day but varnish 5 paintings and read a book - Let your life speak - from cover to cover. The subtitle of the book is Listening for the voice of vocation and surprisingly for me, as I don’t read self-help books or much non-fiction, I found it gripping. 

I have been puzzling on what I am for, now that I am nearly 76. The central argument of the book is that vocation does not come from outside, it comes from within yourself, and the seeds of it are there when you are born, in your inherent nature. 

The author, Parker J Palmer, describes emerging from clinical depression and follows it with this paragraph:

 

Unsuccessful self-portrait 2021

He says we should look at the capabilities and dreams we had as children and young people to find out more about our vocation. This may take some deep thought. He says that if the way ahead is not clear, we can learn a lot from the doors that have closed behind us: that they can tell us as much about our vocation as the ones opening up ahead.

The book has given me profound encouragement. 

And now, as the sun is bright and warm I am going to get up and hang out the washing in my pyjamas.

p.s. washing out, and I want to say that I came across the book because my dear friend Het sent me a link to an interesting FT article which mentioned it. Her sharing - expressing her authentic self - helped me.