There are three books that have radically changed my pictures of the Universe…of my Body…and most recently of my Brain. Don’t laugh …I am now in almost breathless wonder at all three!
The first one was “ Leadership and the New Science” written by an absolutely amazing woman, Margaret Wheatley. I first read it 30 years or more ago, and when I got to the chapter on Chaos Theory I couldn’t take any more nonsense about butterflies flapping their wings over the jungles of the Amazon affecting weather patterns over Detroit, so I wrote to Margaret suggesting that the Theory was absolute nonsense…and if it wasn’t , how was it proved?
Her delightful response was “you and I need to meet”
We met in Utah within a month and have been firm friends ever since, meeting many times in Utah and here in South Africa.
Margaret opened my eyes to the absolute wonder of the Universe.
The second book was “ The Body” by Bill Bryson. A wonderful friend Shaun Thornley gave it to me as a birthday present two months before I discovered that I had Lymphoma, a cancer of my Lymph system.
Bill Bryson’s writing is delightful and his sense of humour irresistible, and it opened my eyes to the absolute wonder of the Human Body…just as awesome as the Universe.
Yes even my aged body and together we beat the Cancer in record time!
The third has the beguiling title “ Seven and a half lessons about the Brain” by Lisa Feldman Barrett. I bought it last weekend and underlined almost half its paragraphs, stunned by what she wrote and how she wrote about my brain… “ a network of 128 billion neurons connected in a single, massive and flexible structure, each neuron directly passing information to just a few thousand other neurons and receives information from a few thousand others, give or take, yielding over five hundred trillion neuron to neuron connections” Yes my brain …and yours ! As wondrous as the Universe and the Human Body!
As fascinating is the link between your brain and mine!
Here are two more quotes that directly affect the work we do with groups of fellow humans.
“ Ultimately your family, friends , neighbours and even strangers contribute to your brain’s structure and function and help,your brain keep your body humming along”
“One advantage is that we live longer if we have close, supportive relationships with other people “
If the daily concerns and challenges of Covid are dragging you down and stressing you , treat yourself to any of these books of Magic, and if you can’t afford to, or cannot locate any one you choose, call me and I will gladly read you an inspiring piece from any one of them…they are all three beside my bed.
Stay safe and strong, love and energy to you all.
Colin