Did a book (or books) ever come to you which has an uncanny resemblance with your own life and the stories they carry brings a sense of familiarity? One that can be tagged as 'been there done that'.
Isn't it that the writer writes from Her/his viewpoint and what each reader perceives is unique to their own experiences? more like that of an impression of a thumb?
In my reading journy, I am currently towards the tail end of 'Heal Me', written by Julia Berkley. I had started reading it a long time ago... probably in the year 2015/17. The motivation was my assumption - that it might have an explanation or summary of how various spiritual healing therapies work as I was beginning one of my own. As I progressed with my reading, the book was turning into something totally different and was more about 'Chronic Pain' which the author was dealing with and which almost made her disable and limited in her day-to-day living. The book narrated her journey thru the Chronic pain to her healing with unshakable grit to find solution that spoke to her soul. I was thinking of leaving the book as it without finishing (a rarest of rare phenomenon with me) but then, a close Friend of mine developed sever chronic pain that ran from neck to brain and I went deep in shock and Paranoia as we ran from Doctors to MRI labs. For almost two three years we dint get down to a proper diagnosis of what was the issue and whenever it appeared, it disturbed the whole routine of my friend and it got more challenging when we dint know what to fix.
And that is how I went back to the same book and as I progressed (utterly slow); dealing with - the unknown, the emotional shift and bearing, the what if's. I gained my resilience and found solace in this book while I dealt with the hurt one goes thru when they see a dear one being utterly helpless and in Pain. The curiosity that I will be able to find a way out thru this book helped me to continue... but again, I left it half way as life took over in form of regular visits to doctors, new understanding of the conditions and the challanges that followed all along and we navigated.
After another few years, being on a target of reading one book per week (with office colleagues) I resumed reading this book again as the vibrant red cover page will standout and remind me over and over that I need to finish reading it. It was also the time where I personally had experienced healing therapies which required a lot of inwardly work and which encouraged to sit with your emotions, give a voice to them and allow them to be felt and acknowledged. The book not only helped me gain more awareness towards people dealing with chronic pain but also understand what a 'Journey of healing' calls for and I think I can write lengths about it too:) ..but better to keep it for another day, another blogpost. That said, I must call-out 'acceptance' plays a biggest role in that journey.
Talking of books, I also read a few beautifully written, soul enriching love tales which were drawn from mythology or stood the test of time. The characters who bore the weight of righteousness, of loving the outcaste, of following the path of love, of Grace, of compassion and how each of it became a work that exhibits timelessness, of distance, of being alive with that one flame of love that stay ignited in times of dispair and wars, that of surrender, that of loss of self and the unborn...it all felt as if I have had been there in some lifetime and experienced that. Some of those books helped me bring acceptance to my 'now' to drop struggle and trust in the path laid by the supreme.
In someway or the other, it felt as if those books chose me and were so close to the journey of my life and it still shocks me to realise how I received them, just in time for when I needed them the most, to be felt heard and understood!, some bore answers for my life's conditions and some soothed my emotional turmoil. Some became my string of support which helped me continue in my darkest of hours and brought that hope and willingness for ease. Some just walked along in manner of timeless tales and consoled that I am not alone on this Journey I chose.
Reminiscing about how my psychich environment longed for something unknown and each of those chapters and readings created a bespoke fulfilling experience. How it all was coming to life as I continue to be accompanied with a Book...either on long or short train journeys, at botanical gardens, at the beach shore amidst the gushing sea waves, at airports and in flights, at that one corner of my house beaming with the warmth of sunshine, amidst the monsoon rain drops sounds, at the quite balcony illuminated with the light from street lamp or at those long nights that were a struggle.
All in all...Books turned out to be my blessings in disguise ๐ and I am immensely grateful for each one of them; for the art of writing, for those who crafted the stories, for those who bridged the gaps of past and present.
