The Nearness is the Point

Book recs, asparagus revelry, and an important Summer update!

“In the wilds of connection, empathy is our North Star.”

from Start with Hello

Back when I was writing Start with Hello,¹ I knew the last word would be on empathy. It became evident this was the singular mission of the whole project; maybe even my entire worldview.

Moving into this nondescript, transformative neighborhood taught me the nearness is the point. The nearness can be messy, boring, exhausting. Sometimes, improbably, it can be all of these things in the same day. But as we lean into the angst of one another, we gain understanding. (Remember, understanding often does not mean agreement.)

The cosmic mind-game that is life takes on new meaning. We find ourselves, against all odds, careening toward a new kind of hopefulness. It smells like warm peaches. It plays like the music of a springtime Friday.

Bit by bit, we find ourselves held in the safe grip of being known. All because we opted into the experiment of inching closer to the cliff-edge of one another.

Alas!

I was approached by a very cool book site called Shepherd, which lists the favorite books of 10,000+ authors. “Shepherd is like wandering the aisles of your favorite bookstore,” their homepage reads.

I had a blast coming up with my list. (Not an easy task!) In keeping with my empathy fixation, I chose five favorite books for cultivating empathy.

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