A Year by the Sea: Thoughts of an Unfinished Woman
by Joan Anderson
Overview
From the Editors
Most of us have daydreamed of leaving behind the rat race and escaping to a private retreat; at the age of 50, Joan Anderson did it. When her husband was offered a job in another state, she declined to follow him, instead moving into their summer house at Cape Cod to appraise and assess her life to that point. A Year by the Sea will especially appeal to women of a certain age who, having devoted a good portion of their lives to raising children and running a household, now find themselves wondering how to spend their golden years.
My thoughts
Admittedly this book isn't for everyone, but I found it quite enjoyable. It is a book of searching for one's self, but it's not a boo-hoo, the world is against me book. It's honest, it's insightful, it's meaningful, and it's emotional. The author shares her vulnerabilities, which is what makes the book work, I think.
Yes, it is yet another "woman in her 50s, stale marriage, lost and wandering" book, but it's well worth reading and it does bring on some nice reflection of relationships and families, the choices we make, and the willingness to change. I liked it.
Favorite Passage
I spot a red fox staring into a puddle not ten feet from where we stand and grab Joanie's arm to alert her. Within seconds the creature notices us, and we stand eyeball to eyeball for a solid minute, after which the fox turns back to the puddle, more interested in her own reflection than in the likes of us. "Good for you," Joan says, applauding the fox. "we could all stand a little more reflection."
We move toward a hollow where thousands of bleached shells and other souvenirs of sea life are scattered about...I sit contented on a nearby log and peruse this solitary place. "Would be a great place for a vision quest," I think out loud.
"What's that?" she asks, continuing to scavenge while I talk.
"I had it explained to me by a Navajo elder a few years ago. He takes to the wilderness once a year and spends twenty-four hours in one solitary spot, while nature offers itself to him. He told me that even the most cluttered mind is emptied of extraneous thought after the first hour, and that a true language comes out of silence."
