“God wasn’t telling me what to do. He was just helping me see what I
actually wanted. He was saying ‘here’s permission to want what you want,
regardless of what anyone else thinks. Here’s permission to be the woman I
created you to be. You think you don’t have the resources, but you do. I will provide them. You think you aren’t
strong enough to face the obstacles, but you are. I’ll be with you the whole
time. Here’s permission to live your
life, not dictated by fear of what might happen…”’—Packing Light by Ally
Vesterfelt
As someone who loves writing, travel,
and bursts of introverted reflection—I was eager to read, and honored to
participate in the pre-release publicity and review of writer Ally Vesterfelt’s
“Packing Light”. It is an honest, thought-provoking, and inspiring account of personal
growth and perspective. Ally writes of a six month fifty state road trip with her
musician friend Sharaya; but the book is more about the journey of life and the
impact that our outlook has on our experiences and choices than it is about
miles and states.
Throughout the
book, Vesterfelt transparently articulates the many ways in which the theme of “packing
light” infiltrated her life—beginning literally with packing for the trip and
culminating in the ways she learned to “pack light” emotionally, spiritually,
and relationally. I read this book in two sittings—eagerly absorbing the
universal lessons and truths such as “most of life is not an outcome. Most of life
is unfolding on the road in front of us. The “outcome” can change as fast as
the scenery” (p.90), that I was invited to incorporate in my own life and
journeys. Ally Vesterfelt is a writer with a clear vision and voice—I felt as
though we were old friends catching up over coffee on a drizzly north-west
afternoon.
While “Packing Light” is driven by
the travel experience, the real message is that of the necessity to journey in
growth and the freedom that comes from “packing light” whether or not you leave
your hometown. Even if you’re a
home-body; the book gently but firmly challenges complacence and the god of
comfort that so subtly hold us back from articulating and pursuing our
God-given desires and dreams. Vesterfelt artfully interweaves the Biblical
narrative of the “rich young ruler” to further exhort the reader to pursue
their dreams and address the self-made walls that keep us from beginning them.
Overall, this book
is one that I know will become dog-eared , heavily underlined, and infiltrate my conversations in the
weeks, months, and years to come. What is most unique about Vesterfelt’s piece
is that she understands both the hesitance and fear of pursuing our buried
dreams as well as the freedom that comes from beginning them—in many ways
interweaving the truth that “If we want to be truly alive, truly awake to the
reality of the world around us, packing light will be a continued, daily struggle”
(p.237). It is through her transparent
narrative Vesterfelt invites us to recognize and live out that “you
have a message too, and it’s important because it’s yours” (p.243).
In conclusion, I encourage everyone to make room
and time for “Packing Light”. It will
challenge you to reconsider and to work to achieve your dreams while “unpacking”
the things that hold you back, As Vesterfelt remarks, “...you’re the only one who has your
ideas, your legacy. If you don’t do something about them, no one will” (p.244).
Please check out: packinglightbook.com
The book, Packing Light, is available for purchase HERE
**I was not paid to write this review**
**I was not paid to write this review**
No comments:
Post a Comment