The Year of Pleasures

Elizabeth Berg is such a thought provoking author.  I love the way she makes me think so much about my inner feelings and what I believe to be true for and about myself. 

Sometimes we as women, get so caught up in the every day motions and caretaking others that we lose ourselves, we seem to forget what we want or like.  Some time ago, I was asked "what is your favorite way to have your eggs prepared"?  I really had to think about it for sometime, I was so used to preparing them the way my family loved best.  It is so important that we don't forget what we like/love during our lives as women, wives, mothers, friends, grandmothers; that we treat ourselves as well as we would treat others.

When our time on this earth has ended with our spouses death, how will we deal with the loss?  Will we know how to face the morning?  Will we travel to somewhere we always wanted to go but they did not? Or travel to a place that the two of you always want to go yet never found the time?Who will we take care of?  Dating??  UMPH!  (I cannot even imagine!)  Yet for most of us this day will come.  So many questions and feelings to ponder.

Here are some of my favorite quotes from "The Year of Pleasures":

"We make a living by what we get; a life by what we give."
"You think you get used to death in the dying.  But after the dying is done, you see the end is the beginning."
"If a friendship is true, it doesn't matter how much time has gone by, you just pick up where you left off."
"Healing hurts but healing heals."
"Don't let your habits become handcuffs."
"There is something about shared labor that makes people more easily open up."
"Happiness is the best face lift."
"If I didn't love her so much........I'd love her anyway."
"Small moments of caretaking that mean the most, forge the real relationship."
"Every day I think I'm back in my thirties, and then every morning I get up and look in the mirror."
"A year of pleasures - I'm talking about things you make happen.  I'm talking about purposefully doing one thing that brings you happiness every single day, in a very conscious way.  It builds up the aresnal, it tips the balance."
"The older I get the more I see that nothing makes sense but to try and learn true compassion."
"People truly are all connected, and that we are, at least in some sense, meant to care for one another -- all the time, not just in times of catastrophe."
"There is love in holding and there is love in letting go."

SYNOPSIS

In this rich and deeply satisfying novel by the beloved author of The Art of Mending, and Open House, a resilient woman embarks upon an unforgettable journey of adventure, self-discovery, and renewal. 
Betta Nolan moves to a small town after the death of her husband to try to begin anew. Pursuing a dream of a different kind of life, she is determined to find pleasure in her simply daily routines. Among those who help her in both expected and unexpected ways are the ten-year-old boy next door, three wild women friends from her college days, a twenty-year-old who is struggling to find his place in the world, and a handsome man who is ready for love.
 
Elizabeth Berg's The Year of Pleasures is about acknowledging the solace found in ordinary things: a warm bath, good food, the beauty of nature, music, friends, and art.

RATING - 5 STARS

PS. - By the way, an omelette with ham, cheese, peppers & onions.