lottie wilkins, unsung guru

yes, it's true. i wrote about enchanted april this time last year on literature life. and until i cease to get something out of it, i will keep  on going!  most people pick a guru from a spiritually advanced nation, from some illustrious yogic or zen buddhist tradition. for me, lottie wilkins says it all.

i find that as we move into spring, i generally need some weeding and pruning myself. what yucky ideas have burrowed into my brain in the winter, while i've been holed up drinking tea? yes, it does get cold enough in l.a. to really need a good cup of tea, i assure you. as the days get longer and warmer, i find it is the right time to give this book another go and see what it has to remind me.

first and foremost, i appreciate lottie's challenge against the very american and puritan notion that buckling down and charging ahead on any dedicated and mediocre path is the right way to go. just being "good" and doing what's expected isn't enough for her, and an important reminder. far more inspired to break out of a mold that doesn't fit, or as a friend said recently, to get rid of whatever "ill fitting suit" you find yourself stuck in. think of how many others you will inspire to do the same?

i am also delighted to say that lottie had a far healthier concept of this "secret" madness nearly a century before oprah got her hot little hands on it. lottie's siple and eloquent "if you wish for something hard enough, it happens" is one of the great moments of literature as far as i am concerned. it's true, too.

and finally, the thought that the best thing that can happen for one's life is to move outside of the usual and explore a new perspective in order to inform one's life is a beautiful thing. we plow ahead in routine and get stale so easily. i find that my regular forays outside  of los angeles, or at least outside of my neighborhood always make me look more carefully at my life when i return. being open to greatness is what takes us to new levels. don't shut down the oportunities you see every day.

both the book and the film are real gifts. what better way to celebrate spring?

Comments

[Leo]

We're in god's hands now, Lottie!