Go to Book club, even if you didn’t read the book.
I went to a book club last night, it was pouring rain and I didn’t even read the book. I almost didn’t go, almost turned around in the middle of the monsoon that occurred on my short commute, but I went. And I’m so glad I showed up. I had a glass of wine (like all good book clubbers do) and while my socks slowly dried and I quickly digested what the book was about, I had great conversations with smart and witty women about self-care, friendship, tolerance and time.
We talked a great deal about self-care. Notably female friendship as self-care and silence as self-care, most likely opposites on the volume scale, but also two of my favorite things. We also talked a lot about personal growth, what it looks like, and how it happens for each of us. To no one’s surprise, these two topics intersected. We often find growth among our female friends who show us things about ourselves (good and bad) and through moments of silence, when we give ourselves the time and space to more clearly see things we can’t see when we’re running around nonstop or constantly listening to the input and opinions of others.
The comments that transpired, reminded me of a few lines from the introduction of the personal growth chapter in Don’t Wear Shoes You Can’t Walk In.
“Personal growth can be something of a Trojan horse; it doesn’t always come in the ways you expect it to. Sure, it comes in the shape of learning to listen actively from a heart-to-heart with a best friend, or learning to remain measured in your confidence after an exception- ally poor or positive performance review. But it also comes from unmemorable decisions you made, simple acts you repeat every day, and events that don’t even happen to you at all. And most of the time, you see or feel the result of that growth only after the fact.”
My shoes were still wet this morning. A new metaphor for what remains or sticks with us after we’ve weathered the storm. And in this case, I was reminded of an extreme gratitude that I showed up last night. Because I laughed and I learned, when I didn’t necessarily expect to.
Show up.
Even if it’s raining.
Even if you didn’t read the book.
Growth most likely awaits, you just don’t know it yet.