by Cheryl Strayed
"Vivid, touching and ultimately inspiring account of a life unraveling and of the journey that put it back together."
~The Wall Street Journal
"Devasting and glorious... By layering bare a great unspoken truth of adulthood - that many things in life don't turn out the way you want them to, and that you can and must live through them anyway - Wild feels real in many ways that many books about 'finding oneself'... do not." ~Slate
"Strayed's journey was at least as transcendent as it was turbulent. She faced down hunger, thirst, injury, fatigue, boredom, loss, bad weather, and wild animals. Yet she also reached new levels of joy, accomplishment, courage, peace, and found extraordinary companionship."
~The Christian Science Monitor
My latest read, finishing it less than a week ago, is Wild by Cherly Strayed. It is a beautifully written memoir about a 26 year old Cheryl, who in the aftermath of her mother's death, the collapse of her marriage, a series of self-destructive action and choices, decides to hike from the Mojave Desert through California and Oregon to Washington State, on a trail referred to as the Pacific Coast Trail, which spans more than a thousand miles.
Cheryl Strayed's story is empowering. Even though she faced so much of her journey alone, especially during the majority of her hike through the Pacific Crest Trail, there is something in the way she shares her experience that gives you the feeling that loneliness and being physically alone, can be two separate things. They are two different experiences. From Cheryl, you get the understanding of the importance to her in taking on this hike, this very long walk and challenge alone. In fact, you see her embrace that. Just like taking on the challenge of walking thousands of miles without anyone by her side, may seem daunting, scary and even a bit dangerous or reckless, especially for someone who lacks the knowledge and expertise, an experience hiker would have, prior to hiking the Pacific Crest Trail, instead of turning away from this challenge, Cheryl commits herself despite her insecurities, as if, she unconsciously knew that this was something she needed and must do. It reminds me of all the times, I in my own life, needed to do something on my own, as hesitant and fearful as I may feel in doing so, I have also looked forward to the opportunity to give myself something more I can be proud of. I can look forward to the challenge because I know that in succeeding I will also be able to prove to myself that I am brave enough and inevitably, I have become stronger because of those experiences.
I loved how Cheryl did not make her experience hiking through the Pacific Crest Trail seem easy, but she made it feel doable. She shares all of its' hardships, difficult moments and honestly, I was inspired with her journey and the hike itself because of those things. I was inspired to imagine myself taking on such a challenge and to question what it may be like to do something, like she did. Cheryl experiences most of her journey on the Pacific Crest Trail alone yet you recognize how the people she did meet, the friends she unexpectedly made, the love from others, along the way, help renew her faith in the human experience and confidence in herself.
I consider Wild, to be quite a special book. Though this is Cheryl Strayed's story and it is unique in many ways, there are also many lessons with her story that I believe so many of us can learn from and relate to. One that strongly stands out to me is acceptance...
"It was all unknown to me then, as I sat on the white bench... Everything except the fact that I didn't have to know. That it was enough to trust that what I'd done was true. To understand its meaning without yet being able to say precisely what it was... To believe that I didn't need to reach with my bare hands anymore. To know that seeing the fish beneath the surface of the water was enough. That it was everything. It was my life- like all the lives, mysterious and irrevocable and scared. So very close, so very present, so very belonging to me. How wild it was, to let it be." ~Cheryl Strayed, Wild, page 311.
I've stumbled upon this book many times before, the first time it must have been years ago. The rugged hiking book with red laces on its' book cover became its' staple, it became so recognizable to me, yet it was not until recently, I felt inspired to read it. I think the knowledge of a movie version, was in the works and soon to be released on the big screen, increased my interest and I found myself curious and I was motivated to finally find out what this book is really all about. It's been a #1 National Bookseller, Oprah's Book Club 2.0 Pick and BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR according to NPR, The Boston Globe, Entertainment Weekly and Vogue. So, this is not a new phenomenon; the magnitude of love for this book. People have known of and loved this book for years. I'm glad to finally be a part of that group of people, who knows exactly why...
Now, I'm finally ready to watch the movie!
