Monday, September 17, 2012

Changing Conditions

Just a quick post about the weather in Las Vegas.  One night, it's beastly hot and dry, with crystal clear visibility from my terrace at the Cosmopolitan Hotel:
Twelve hours later, the same view in the midst of a driving rainstorm:
I didn't know it EVER rained like that in Vegas. I need to keep the possibility of confounded expectations and uncertainty in mind.  And an umbrella in my backpack!
  
What Am I Reading?
"Dear Sugar" is an advice column on Rumpus.com that is like no other.  For several years, the until-recently-anonymous Sugar has responded to questions from people who are struggling, lost, even in anguish, with answers that are honest, compassionate and hopeful.  "Tiny Beautiful Things", a compilation of those Q&A's, reveals Sugar to be acclaimed writer Cheryl Strayed. Make no mistake, this is not an easy read; Sugar pulls no punches and is unflinchingly honest while revealing many of the struggles she has dealt with in her own life.  However, through all the pain and tumult, she offers a sunbeam of hope that may be just what her questioners (and readers) need to make sense of life's challenges. 

I was so touched by this book that I passed it on to my 20-year-old daughter, who, like most twenty-somethings, is doing her best to navigate college, relationships and the future, all while trying to define herself.  Hopefully "Tiny Beautiful Things" can help her do just that.