The Mother's Guide to The Meaning of Life

The Mother's Guide to The Meaning of Life
by Amy Krouse Rosenthal

"What if we could live out our life non-sequentially?"

That is the heading that caught my attention as I flipped the pages in, "The Mother's Guide to The Meaning of Life", a cheery, light little book by Amy Krouse Rosenthal.

As I read the short piece under that title, I found myself nodding emphatically at a few statements and wondering if anybody else felt this way...

Sometimes I wish we did not live our days sequentially. I mean, we all get the same number of days to live... But we shouldn't have to live them in order.

The author of this piece excerpted in the book ruminates how wonderful it would be to intersperse those lonely 93-yr-old moments where we yearn for company with the 33-yr-old moments where we are running away from it... when we find we have no time for our kids, our spouses, because we are so busy doing something else to get somewhere else in life... and finally when we think we are there, our arthritic bones and sagging muscles leave us painfully alone as our kids have flown the nest busily assembling one of their own...

I loved the way it made me feel - sad yet hopeful as there is time yet to make a change... I drafted a post exploring this train of thought... if only I can wrap my head around it and publish it someday... but, I am digressing.

Amy Krouse Rosenthal is not a stranger in our household. Her Cookies, Bite-sized Life Lessons has been one of the many favorite bedtime reads for over a year now.

So, knowing her witty and sensible style, I knew the title of this book must be sort of tongue-in-cheek. It is not intended to be a comprehensive guide to motherhood, obviously. That was the whole point of the book. As a published author and mother of three, Amy probably knows enough about motherhood to have many average mothers nod along when she shares her struggles and triumphs. Her sense of humor shines through even the most challenging motherhood moments that she relates in the book. And, leaves me feeling like I have a companion, even if unapproachable in real life.

It felt almost as if she secretly peeked into my household, my mind, and decided to put down some soothing words laced with clever insight to help me lighten up. To help me unclench that jaw, to relax my tight fist, to ease that furrowed brow, to turn that frown upside down...

A good read, re-read... nice-to-have-handy for life's demanding moments...