Hand Wash Cold

The blurb on the back of Karen Maezen Miller's new book, Hand Wash Cold, compares it to Eat, Pray, Love by Elizabeth Gilbert.  Miller's book resembles Gilbert's book, the quote says,..."without all the running from."  The comparison works in drawing attention to Miller's thoughtful work.

I enjoyed Elizabeth Gilbert's memoir of a year searching for balance.   Now, I want to spend four months in Italy eating pasta and gelato.  Gilbert's narration is delightful.  Her ending made me smile!  I may want to pick this book up sometime in the future but I don't need to.

Miller's book, on the other hand, is more instruction book than memoir.  She uses her own life as illustration to her philosophy.  This is a book I paused over, flipped through several times before returning to the library.  Ever since, I have wanted to just check what she has to say about this or about that.  So tonight, I went online and soon I will own my own copy of Hand Wash Cold.

Hand Wash Cold is about embracing the life we have now because here is the only place and now is the only time that we truly have.  Miller is not preaching against "planning ahead" or "dreaming".  She simply explains how important it is to appreciate the things we normally rush through to get to...whatever it is we think we'd rather do, or wherever it is we think we'd rather be.  This is advice that I need, right now, when I am "planning ahead" for another summer of chaos.  I need to appreciate each task I complete.  I need to concentrate on each aspect of each task before it is completed.

Sigh. If only I had Hand Wash Cold right now!!! ;)

Afterthought:  Have you noticed a trend toward titles with three words in them?  Adriana Trigiani's Big Stone Gap, Will North's Water, Stone, Heart.   I zhould write a book entitled Paper, Rock, Scissors, about how chance enhances creativity.  Someone beat me to it with Rock, Paper, Scissors, a digital book about game theory.  I have no idea if the book is any good.  Oh well, there is nothing new under the sun, only different ways to say, sing, paint, play, sculpt, build or dance.