A beautifully presented and uplifting book of contemplative, wry, sometimes funny essays about living thoughtfully and with care amidst life's challenges. If you are struggling to maintain grace and good humour amidst daily potholes and pitfalls, Brigid Lowry may be just the warm, wise and witty companion you need. Informed by contemporary psychology and Buddhist philosophy, Brigid's essays offer reflections on everything from friendship to grief, and from gratitude to self-care. A YEAR OF LOVING KINDNESS TO MYSELF is all the encouragement youll need to nurture yourself and those around you.
The daughter of a typographer, Brigid Lowry began her writing career by self-publishing two dreadful poems when she was eight. She spent her twenties living in a Buddhist community, veered into performance poetry in her thirties, and subsequently gained a masters degree in Creative Writing before writing eight award-winning young adult books. She is a Zen student, a socialist, a creative writing teacher, an introvert who talks too fast, a drifter and dreamer who loves the world of words. Brigid likes movies, travel, walking and hanging around in libraries. She believes in nectarines, coloured pencils and op shops, and in encouraging others to live with authenticity and joy.
"Brigid raises a brave teacup to the gnarly, mixed, yet ultimately generous provenance of this world. This artfully threaded string of honest, tender worry-beads in the form of small unvarnished gems of hard-won self-acceptance comes with far too much edgy candour ever to be mistaken for sticky self-help. A tonic for the spirit. Recommended dosage: once daily, before sleep." -- Susan Murphy, author of Red Thread Zen
"Infused with honesty and insight and brimming with compassion, this wise book is a nourishing companion for troubled times. A must-read for cultivating a tender and loving approach to ourselves, others and our world." -- Sally Gillespie, author of Climate Crisis and Consciousness
"An exquisitely unembellished Zen lesson in the art of attention, Brigid Lowrys book is at once a memoir, a poem, a song, a bracing cup of tea and a healing balm for the unique blend of pain, joy and wonder of being human. A masterly portrayal of the miraculously ordinary extraordinariness of this very moment." -- Perle Besserman, co-author of Grassroots Zen