Real Life: The Journey from Isolation to Openness and Freedom Book Review

Cindy Georgakas

June 5

And finally, my promised review from my book club. What I love about one of my book clubs (Spiritual Rap), is we pick one or 2 books for the year and discuss each chapter every 2 weeks. Now this is a pace I can keep up with and it helps me integrate concepts into my life. My other book group meets catch as catch can, which also fits into my lifestyle well. Both have amazing woman that I love which is the icing on the cake. I best hurry and share while we are on a summer hiatus.

I don't know about you but real life takes precedence in all I do (like this long overdue book review and 2 more coming soon) and my best laid plans are often just that. I was going to write 3 book reviews today but real life got in the way and I only had time for 1 and late at that. Plans need to be adjusted and changed as I move through the day, just like the weather. I mean who would expect the high heat and melting like some of you are dealing with, fires in other parts of the region or thunderstorms in others. This is my life in a nutshell between aging parents and grand babies.

Sharon Salzberg Author of the New York Times bestseller Real Happiness that wrote REAL LIFE: The JOURNEY from ISOLATION to OPENNESS and FREEDOM knows well the daily struggles of what it means to face life head on moment to moment, embrace our humanness and snafus as life reveals itself and shows up with courage and conviction.

About the author

Sharon Salzberg is a meditation pioneer, world-renowned teacher, and New York Times bestselling author. She is one of the first to bring mindfulness and lovingkindness meditation to mainstream American culture over 45 years ago, inspiring generations of meditation teachers and wellness influencers. Sharon is co-founder of The Insight Meditation Society in Barre, MA, and the author of twelve books, including the New York Times bestseller, Real Happiness, now in its second edition, and her seminal work, Lovingkindness. Her forthcoming release, Real Life: The Journey from Isolation to Openness and Freedom, is set for release in April of 2023 from Flatiron Books. Her podcast, The Metta Hour, has amassed six million downloads and features interviews with thought leaders from the mindfulness movement and beyond. Learn more at http://www.sharonsalzberg.com

She shares pearls of wisdom from not only experience but from many teachers in her path that you and I have come to known and love. She talks about the human struggle of Buddha who told us, there would be suffering. That in human minds we suffer when we move into nonacceptance when we hold so tight it becomes our reality which is the culprit to letting go. She talks about her experiences, sharing stories of human resiliency and her commitment to walking her talk.

A book of not just understanding, but feeling on a deeper level of what it means to be fully human, real and truly happy.

What Amazon Says:

When we feel alone, cut off, or trapped, we can let those difficulties steer us onto a path toward an authentic, flourishing life—living in a way that allows us to find the wholeness that lies within. Even when we're alone, a sense of community can accompany us through the stormy times. Our words, hearts, and actions can line up with a larger vision, rather than the smaller views our anxious, fearful thoughts arouse in us.

We accomplish the journey to expansive freedom (Real Life) through developing tools like mindful awareness, friendship, and a greater sense of purpose/aspiration. We learn to:
• take some risks with what we dare to imagine
• take an interest in internal states we might normally try to avoid
• take an interest in people we might normally try to avoid

My 5 STAR Review:

Sharon shares stories from her heart that stop and make you think and many quotes and excerpts from well respected people and books from all walks of life, countries, Theologian's, historians, mindfulness teachers, psychologist's, rabbi's, Buddha, writers and friends she meets along her path. She pays tribute to each of them crediting their gifts that give her and others insightful messages to move from holding on to letting go, to allow our path to unfold to support our journey to freedom.

She gives practical advise to shake hands with the monsters that come in our path so we can embrace the gifts, rather than push them away, creating space inside to learn and grow from, encouraging us to use these 4 skills as daily practices:

1. Soften and allow for your experience rather than resisting them.

2. Stay grounded in your truth and center and not indulging in every whim and being swept away.

3. Be with yourself without expecting to change what's there. There is kindness in just being with.

4. Listen and welcome. Instead of ignoring or dismissing, we give the gift of our attention.

One of my favorite shares in her book was when Sharon was writing her 10th book and thought "It's your tenth book," ran the defeatist tape in my head. "no one cares what you have to say anymore. Just turn something in." Her friend came in town and took her to Hamilton and it just so happened that Lin-Manuel Miranda who composed the music and wrote the lyrics and the book, was playing Hamilton and she sat there in awe, unable to take her eyes off him and thought, "You wrote this. This all came out of your brain. And then for myself, You can never just turn something in, or compromise that way. Everything you do you have to do with 100 percent of your being." At the end of the play, she forego dinner and rushed home to finish this book.

She ends her book the way she starts returning to the Saturday Night Seder program. A wonderful series of aspirations expressed at the very end of this Seder, with personal interpretations of the classic saying "Next year in Jerusalem," from actor and playwright Harvey Fierstein and lists what this means to him.

And in her own words:

May we continue this journey toward freedom together.
May our actions redound to the welfare and happiness of all beings.
May wisdom and compassion grow.
May peace be born anew and soon prevail.

And while we each try to make sense of the continued wars around us, I know she most likely is as well, never being able to come to terms with how we got to where we are now, scratching her head in wonderment. Perhaps she will see another play that will unleash her next book and no doubt give us something to nod and applaud. Congratulations Sharon on your 10th and profound book.

Might this remind us as we continue on our journey and life path as humans and writers, that the world needs our words and to never lose sight of our message inside that wants to be shared, as we grapple with how we want to harness and deliver them. Happy growing and learning!

Stay Blessed and Mindful in thought and deed.