August 2002 Newsletter
Online Issue # 1

Good Books

It’s summer and I’m doing another book sampler. This time I decided to share with you the books I’m reading, or looking forward to reading, before summer ends and fall arrives. I’ve narrowed my list down to the following:

When Life Changes or You Wish It Would: How to Survive and Thrive in Uncertain Times
by Carol Adrienne
William Morrow, 2002
hardcover, $24.95

This is a great resource if you’re experiencing or exploring the PROCESS of uncharted change in all its mystery, frustration, confusion and wonder. Carol Adrienne understands the bottom line: Process has a life of its own beyond our planning and control. It involves the stuff that eventually makes perfect sense, but can not be “outlined” or “figured out” in advance. Again and again throughout the book, Adrienne demonstrates the benefit of paying attention to the signs that appear to guide us along. Some readers will recognize her as the author of “The Purpose of Your Life” and its sequel “Find your Purpose, Change Your Life.” She also co-authored several books with James Redfield associated with “The Celestine Prophecy.”

Turning to One Another: Simple Conversations to Restore Hope to the Future
by Margaret J. Wheatley
Berrett-Koehler, 2002
paperback, $15.95

When I first picked up this book I opened it to a page somewhere in the middle and read the question “Am I becoming someone I respect?” This isn’t a book of trendy conversation starters; it’s a book for soul-searching, life-changing, future-shifting conversation. It’s also a book suited to long road trips and seasonal gatherings where people have enough time to stop the rush and really listen to each other. You might also want to look for the August 2002 issue of the Utne Reader with Margaret Wheatley’s cover story on “The Power of Talk.”

“I believe we can change the world if we start listening to one another again... Simple, truthful conversation where we each have a chance to speak, we each feel heard, and we each listen well.” -- Margaret Wheatley

The Answer to How is Yes: Acting on What Matters
by Peter Block
Berrett-Koehler, 2001
hardcover, $24.95

From the first moment I saw this title, I liked it and I remembered it. I also discovered a helpful way to use it. I found myself saying to myself, “Let’s just try that again. The answer to how is WHAT?” I can actually feel new possibilities creating themselves when I use this simple reframing. So even if I don’t get around to reading Block’s book this summer, I’ll be
benefiting from the title.

“We find ourselves giving in to our doubts, and settling for what we know how to do, or can soon learn how to do, instead of pursuing what most matters to us and living with the adventure and anxiety that this requires.” -- Peter Block

Crossing the Unknown Sea: Work as a Pilgrimage of Identity
by David Whyte
Riverhead Books, 2002
paperback, $14.00

You might remember David Whyte as the author of “The Heart Aroused: Poetry and the Preservation of the Soul in Corporate America.” I’m eager to spend time in his company again, savoring the poetry of language and life, while contemplating the unknown and unknowable, crossings and pilgrimage, work and identity. I love not knowing what I’ll encounter, just knowing that I will.

“No two trees are the same to Raven.
No two branches are the same to Wren.”

from the poem LOST in “The Heart Aroused” -- David Whyte

The Power of Now: A Guide to Spiritual Enlightenment
by Eckhart Tolle
New World Library, 1999
hardcover, $21.95

I first encountered the name Eckhart Tolle in a memorable interview in the Fall/Winter 2000 issue of the magazine What is Enlightenment? I saw the same interview reprinted this year in the May and June issues of The Edge. When any book makes repeat appearances in my life, I try to pay attention. Tolle shares an amazing personal story and offers grounded teachings on living NOW, released from our “thought-created problems” of the future. The book uses a question and answer format. If that style doesn’t appeal to you, consider Tolle’s smaller, more accessible follow-up “Practicing the Power of Now: Essential Teachings, Meditations, and Exercises From the Power of Now.”

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