My recommendation list actually has one author with two recommended books. I received this recommendation as I traveled back to Portland for my initial evaluation for eye surgery. I was going to get my strabismus corrected (double vision), and there were several appointments involved. Since I was getting the surgery at OHSU, I was easily able to stop by and see friends and former co-workers. This recommendation comes from a woman who has been overcoming her own challenges in her life and career, and I’m grateful for this recommendation.
Recommendation #13 from Angel Kimball
Braving the Wilderness by Brené Brown
The subtitle for this book is “The quest for true belonging and the courage to stand alone.” Braving the Wilderness really hit home for me, as I have often been standing alone in the past year. I’ve also thought a lot about belonging, home, and acceptance. So, while some of the concepts in this book weren’t exactly new to me, they did confirm that I had been on the right path with my thinking and decision making in 2018. And I’m excited to continue my adventure in 2019!
Both in Rising Strong and Braving the Wilderness, Brené’s writing style is a mix of story, research data, and personal realizations that are very easy to read and digest. In this book, she talks about her family, her marriage, and meeting Maya Angelou and Oprah. And she mentions several other writers that have also made my recommendation list – Oliver Sacks, Jen Hatmaker, and Joseph Campbell. This is really exciting, because it’s further confirmation that God is directing and guiding this journey. What’s incredible is that I received recommendations for all of the other authors from various different friends and acquaintances.
I did encounter one challenging concept that took me some time to work through. In one section of the book, Brené talks about viewing other people in the world as doing the best they can. After all, we give ourselves that same kind of grace when we look at our own lives. The reason I found this challenging is because I also know I often DON’T do my best. I cut corners, I see other people making poor choices, and I know deep down that we don’t always do our best.
But what I needed to internalize is that by thinking other people aren’t doing their best, I am judging them. I get it, the J (Judging) in my INFJ personality type is the strongest of the 4 letters. But I am finally realizing that I’m not loving people when I’m judging them. I’m not extending them grace…the same grace that I have received throughout my entire life by family, friends, and God. I get it now. Whether people are doing their best or not, the only thing I should concern myself with is the mindset that they are doing their best and then committing to love them through the process.
There are four elements to Braving the Wilderness.
- People Are Hard to Hate Close Up. Move In.
- Speak Truth to Bullshit. Be Civil.
- Hold Hands. With Strangers.
- Strong Back. Soft Front. Wild Heart.
To end, here are 3 quotes that really struck me from this book. Hopefully they will get you interested in reading it yourself.
“You only are free when you realize you belong no place — you belong every place — no place at all.” – Maya Angelou
“True belonging is the spiritual practice of believing in and belonging to yourself so deeply that you can share your most authentic self with the world and find sacredness in both being a part of something and standing alone in the wilderness. True belonging doesn’t require you to CHANGE who you are; it requires you to BE who you are.” – Brené Brown
“There’s an unspoken message that the only stories worth telling are the stories that end up in history books. This is not true. Every story matters. My father’s story MATTERS. We are all worthy of telling our stories and having them heard. We all need to be seen and honored in the same way that we all need to breathe” – Viola Davis
Thanks for learning a little bit more about Braving the Wilderness. I sincerely encourage you to pick up a copy from your local library or Amazon. Do yourself the favor. You won’t be disappointed!
Today’s song comes from my Dependence Spotify playlist for this month. It is the third song on the playlist, a space I give high priority to each month (I am TrinityDreamer after all!). It starts with a boy waking up in a wilderness, but it illustrates the sacredness that Brené mentions in her quote above. Being part of something AND standing alone in the wilderness…