Some days it’s easy to love life. Work is great. Family’s great. Weekends are filled with sunny, fun days ahead. Other days it’s not so easy. Call it your savage, untamed hair day. I like to say it’s my crazy hair day. The ones that resemble Monica’s frizzy hairdo in the Friend’s episode that took place in Barbados. Well that’s how some days are like. Wild and barbaric, and hard to control.
I’m having one of those days. My latest battle is with difficult publishers-those you have to chase in order to get them to pay you and it’s not fun. That’s why I’m in desperate need for inspiration. Thank goodness for Julie Powell’s book Julie & Julia. While I love food and cooking, I can’t say that I’m a food snob, nor have I ever watched an episode of Julia Child or read her cookbook. But the jewel of this fast read is more about the author’s fiery passion for reaching her dreams than the fiery meals she cooks in the kitchen. I’m envious of her pure focus and goal. One that needs no explanation and rarely leaves room for doubt.
As I trek on this road to pursue my own dreams, I am continuously inspired by Julie Powell and her seemingly insane goal of cooking her way through 524 recipes in Julia Child’s Mastering the Art of French Cooking in one year! Not because the feat was awe-inspiring (which it was) but because from an idea as small as a seed she grew an insane garden filled with possibility and in it her life’s dream. Can you imagine how many obstacles one might have while attempting to fulfill such a goal?
Perhaps what is most inspirational is the fact that she kept to it without any expectation that her idea would blossom into a full outright writing career. She sacrificed sleep, house cleanliness and many peaceful nights with her husband but in the end gained more from the challenge than she ever imagined. From one aspiring writer to another, I’d ask her, “How’d you do it Julie? How’d you keep to your dreams even when you felt like throwing in the kitchen towel?” As for me, I can only hope to get whisked away on a similar adventure, one that will take me just one step closer to my dreams of being a writer.
What about you? Any inspiring reads lately?
Oh and check out this video that shows a little bit about the real Julie Powell.
Monday, October 5th, 2009, 4:16 pm | 
Book Reviews | 
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