Back to the top of the stack

One of my favorite books of this year (and last) is Meditations for Women Who Do Too Much by Anne Wilson Schaef. And because I truly do need a lot of help and reinforcement in this area, I'll be starting it over again on New Year's Day.

I found the book in the mid-1990s as a busy writer and the mother of a toddler, when its title appealed to me. (The inside flap shows I got it used for $5.) But honestly, it's only been in the last year or two that I started taking it seriously, because I continue to do too much, think too much, worry too much, work too much and sometimes care too much, even amid a life of intentional simplicity. The 365 dated entries are full of wisdom and gentle encouragement for overcoming workaholism.

The book was first published in 1990 and I've sometimes found it just a little bit dated. Let's face it: A quarter century ago, our lives were a lot simpler than they were even a decade ago. And yet, the tools that have made it more complicated have also helped me learn that Anne is still very much at work; that a new edition of Meditations for Women Who Do Too Much appeared two years ago; and that, with one click, I was able to download it to my Kindle for three bucks less than the used copy I bought 20 years ago. (The fact that such a priceless book costs a mere $1.99 is a matter worth another blog post ... another time ...)

Chances are I'll order a paperback copy, too. Because this is a valuable book -- and because, frankly, part of getting over the "too much" in our lives is getting offline.