Credit must be awarded to Erica Bauermeister, author of Joy for Beginners, as this seemingly lost Sunday library find has opened up my latest thoughts on turning thirty. I recall all too well, my mother’s youngest sister, who had nothing short of a meltdown right before turning the big 3-0. As I witnessed this, at my ripe young age of nine, I could not understand why my aunt—beautiful, intelligent, talented, nurturing, married, and a mother—would have any fears about turning over a leaf to this year.
I now gaze upon the same landmark year—with nine months to go, and ponder what my thirtieth year will bring.
One of my favorite guilty pleasures is to wander through our local public library, to find books that seem . . . lonely. On the fiction rack, was a subtle cover, which pulled me in with the words Joy for Beginners. I took a moment to react to this title. Do I need a lesson in “joy?” I’m surely not a beginner? Well . . . maybe I could experience joy on a higher level? Does this book hold the key to bliss for me and the revolutionary transition between my twenty-ninth and thirtieth year?
Several nights of chardonnay and book-reading in my tattered Victoria’s Secret boyfriend-pjs, led me to realize why this book called my name on a Sunday afternoon at our local suburban library.
Not to divulge too much (for those of you who may venture out to your library, Nook, or Kindle portal to read on your own), but I must give a preview to make some sense of this entry.
The focal character of Joy for Beginners is the honorable, Kate, who has recently recovered from a successful cancer treatment therapy. Upon celebrating her overcoming one of the most distressed and tumultuous trials in her young life, Kate ponder her triumph over a night of dinner and wine with five of her best girlfriends: Dahlia, Ava, Caroline, Marion, Hadley, and Sara.
Joy for Beginners then takes you through the lives of these six women, as Kate poses a challenge to each of them during this night of cancer-free celebration. Each woman must accomplish one project, task, or face a situation, which they have been fearful of, putting off, or completely avoided. The catch? They have one year to do so . . . and Kate gets to choose their task. The reason? Upon completion of each task, Kate knew that her friend’s would be closer to finding true joy in their lives.
