I thoroughly enjoyed Dominique Browning's account of her life after losing her job as editor-in-chief of House & Garden in Slow Love: How I Lost My Job, Put On My Pajamas, & Found Happiness. In the book her love/hate interest is given the pseudonym Stroller, and that also seemed to fit the meandering quality of the narrative. I found myself waiting for the book to start, kind of like I was waiting for the opening credits in a movie. But about halfway through I got it and by the end of the book I was right there with her. And what a there it is:
"I am always surprised by joy, and that is what is suffusing my entire being. I feel it start deep in my belly and spread up and over my body, and I recognize it for what it is: a slow flush of love for the world -- the sheer pleasure of being here, the profound honor of witnessing life. As I paddle home across the pond, I'm overwhelmed with the beauty all around me. There's a lot to enjoy in a life of solitude, I've learned, but I know that I'm not alone, either. Love is all around me."
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