Category: Holidays

For my Advent calendar this year, I thought I would do recommendations – one recommendation a day. (Off-line, I have a multitude of advent calendars as well.)

For December 1, my first recommendation is The Year of Yes: How to Dance It Out, Stand In the Sun and Be Your Own Person, from Grey’s Anatomy creator Shonda Rhimes.

I finished reading this a couple of days ago (bought and paid for my own copy) and immediately upon finishing it, I could think of several friends who just “have” to read this book. It is funny, and poignant and for everyone who has had stage fright, depression, anxiety, love their jobs, hate their jobs, love their siblings, hate their siblings, and for everyone who feel guilt about whatever they feel guilt about.

I bookmarked the following quote from it:

I’m miserable? I’m still a little ashamed to be telling you that right now. I’m miserable. Who in the hell do I think I am? A whiner. That’s who. A great big old whiner person. You know who gets to be miserable? Malala. Because someone shot her in the face. You know who else? The Chibok schoolgirls. Because the terrorist group Boko Haram kidnapped them from school for forced marriage (which is just like regular marriage except exactly the opposite and full of rape) and no one cares anymore. You know who else? Anne Frank. Because she and about six million other Jewish people were murdered by Nazis. And? Mother Teresa. Because everyone else was too lazy to treat the lepers and so she had to do it. It’s pretty shameful of me to sit around saying I’m miserable when there are no bullets in my face and no one’s kidnapped me or killed me or left me alone to treat all the lepers.