Like Streams to the Ocean: Notes on Ego, Love, and the Things That Make Us Who We Are | 
pickI like the way Jedidiah Jenkins thinks & the way he writes. There were a few things he shared his thoughts on that I don‘t necessarily agree with, but he gave me new perspectives & he broadened my curiosity. He reminded me that I want to be less cynical (easier said than done), that I want to be more open & more in love with my life, not so nihilistic. Such wonderful essays to make you feel deeply & force you to take a look at life with fresh eyes
“Why am I astonished? This is the one and only world any of us know. Why should we find it strange? And yet we do.”
“We, meaningless matter, write stories about fictional meaningless matter, to make ourselves feel things, even sadness.”
“…the measure of good character is how you treat people who can do nothing for you.”
“Even if it failed, I would have done it and been proud of the doing.”
“The way you wake up in the air chilled by the night, and, for once, your life has a clear and unconfused direction: Make coffee. If only life was always as clean and uncluttered as it is in those first few moments of waking.”
“The world is perfectly sized. Too big to explore it all, but small enough to try.”
“…anyone who has been in love knows that the alchemy of love springs from more than beauty alone. It is a busy cauldron of things.”
“A soul disconnected from place has no reason to care, beyond wanting what it can take from that place in order to survive… Uncoupled from the world, we become its destroyers.”
“I truly don‘t know what to do with the diversity of experiences in this life, except to offer kindness and speak when I can, and listen when I should.”
“I love being alive. I testify to this every day. I find beauty in garbage and laughter in traffic. I wake up in love.”
“…avoidance doesn‘t do much. Sure, it keeps you from a little embarrassment here and there. But all the people I look up to, the artists and the athletes, the chefs and the CEOs, they risked embarrassment… There was a moment when each of them stepped toward the fright.”
“What is buried will rise up and take over”
“Misery is in direct proportion to expectation.”
“What we have are complex thoughts, spiritual meditations, and brains that want to hold the universe in our consciousness. This is the miracle of being human.”
pickI haven‘t read Jedidiah‘s first book about biking from Oregon to Patagonia, but now it‘s on my list! I loved the conversational tone of this book, which mentions his adventures but doesn‘t go deep into them. Instead, Like Streams to the Ocean is full of all the feels! Friends, family, love, death, and the soul are all broad chapter headings but his musings often wander a bit. Not overly serious, but touching. The audio is the way to go!
pickI really enjoyed listening to Jedidah speak aloud the topics that feel common among us. Its so raw and relevant. It feels like a conversation with a close friend.
February 5/25 #LitsyLove
