This review is going to be a little different. I listened to the audio book of Oprah Winfrey's book "The Path Made Clear: Discovering Your Life's Direction and Purpose" yesterday. What I was expecting was a book of Oprah wisdom (and I got bits of that), but what I mostly got was quotes and interview responses regarding a whole array of topics by actors, authors, and more. It was very difficult for me to keep track of who's who when I didn't know a lot of the people. It felt like it was 20% Oprah and 80% others. I would have liked it much better if those numbers were switched. Ultimately, those things bothered me enough to drop my rating down to a three and a half out of five.
What truly caught my attention was this quote by Oprah:
Whatever your calling, it's already rooted within you, and those roots
can be trampled or tugged at but never removed. They grow stronger only
when tended, nurtured, and most important, shared with others.
I will be the first to admit that I have tried my damnedest to ignore or diminish my calling. I have trash talked myself, thrown an entire manuscript into the fire (literally... I wish I wasn't joking... this was before I owned a computer so all 750 pages were hand written), and talked down to myself. I admitted to a friend today that I felt an embarrassment about
even sharing story ideas with another human. This friend hit the nose on the head identifying not embarrassment but a deep seeded fear and shame that has been long repressed.
My flowers today are simple, but important. I am unique. I have a voice. I have something to say. I deserve to tell my story. I am worthy of loving and being loved. I have a calling. I have a calling and I will embrace it instead of running from it. My roots are strong. My heart is good. I will achieve anything I put my mind to.
Thank you Oprah for your book, even though it wasn't what I was expecting.
And thank you, friend, for seeing past my darkness into a light I am just beginning to acknowledge.
