August 22, 2018 GOOD LIFE

All good things must come to an end. At least that's what they say. It's been a great summer. One of the most relaxing that I've had in a LONG time. Perfect-- running--yoga--reading--painting--and hanging at the beach. Mostly--Carefree. It's wonderful when the biggest decision of the day is what time we should go to the beach. WHAT A WORLD.  Wish I could stay there. It took me a long time to learn to relax though.  When I was younger-- I always felt like I had to complete AN IMPORTANT task--cleaning--organizing--STUPID STUFF. It took me a long time to let that go. Then I remembered some SAGE ADVICE from my grandmother. She actually told me not to waste my time--changing curtains every season--shining the silver--waxing the floor.  Those things really weren't  that important in the big scheme of things. As I've grown older--I've also grown a TINY bit wiser. Today I find things that bring me joy and help me appreciate life. That's what  really matters. These are some of the issues Julia Win struggles with in Jan-Philipp Sandker's novel A Well-Tempered Heart. 

A Well-Tempered Heart was written in 2014 and is the sequel to the wonderful novel The Art of Hearing Heartbeats of 2004. In the sequel, it has been 10 years since Julia's return from Burma. She is now a high powered attorney in Manhattan who is at a crossroads after her fiancee moves out. To make matters worse, Julia starts to hear a voice inside her head that makes her question her life. Unable to work because of the voice, Julia takes an unpaid leave and returns to her father's homeland of Burma to see her brother U Ba. Once in Burma, U Ba helps  Julia figure out that  the voice belongs to a woman named NuNu.  U Ba takes Julia to visit NuNu's sister in an effort to be free of the voice. Julia learns about NuNu's life and later decides to visit NuNu's son Thar, where the story comes full circle. This is a beautifully written story about love, loss, family and forgiveness that I thoroughly enjoyed. Please read them in order though or you will not fully appreciate the story. A Well-Tempered Heart is about 400 pages--or a 4.5 mile run--that I will never forget. Enjoy.