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Life
Life Advice from 50 Beloved Characters in Kids’ Entertainment
The Cure for Loneliness
Stop Acting Like an Afterthought
Do Not Grow Old
Every Man’s Life is a Fairytale
Give yourself permission to be creative
24 Things Dying People Wished They had Done Differently
Book Review: Aches and Epiphanies by Aries
A collection of poetry, prose and thoughts from poet and songwriter, Aries.
From love lost to happiness found; from pain to joy and vice versa. The words of the unspoken and raw human emotions come to the fore.
For those who have stood face to face with love and it has been terrifying or have hidden secrets behind closed doors. For those who find comfort in the hands of another, you will learn, page by page.
As the universe takes its last breath, it looks at you with glittering eyes and smiles. You were worth the destruction.
My Review
I chose to read this book after receiving a free e-copy from the author. All opinions in this review are my own and completely unbiased.
I have come to appreciate poetry more and more over the years. This group of poems from Aries are separated in two sections: aches and epiphanies. I liked the poems, although the ones in the first section do fit the name. An example:
I have too much love inside me
to waste my time with someone
who won’t even look me in the eye
before he kisses me.
I am not just a body; I am a soul, too.
Even though this poem is short, it rouses a lot of emotion.
Then there are the epiphanies. Some of them are great and really hit home. An example:
Dear Body,
This has been a long time coming but I have begun to fall
in love with you at last.
I know God made you for me for a reason.
I think about the things I said before and it brings me to
tears.
You have loved me unconditionally and now; it is finally
time for me to do the same.
All my love
Aches and Epiphanies is definitely a book I recommend if you like poetry that makes you feel.
About the Author
Aries is a poet from Kuwait who currently lives in the UK. She is passionate about writing down feelings and turning the pain into something beautiful.
She has enjoyed writing from a young age, as well as composing songs, and is currently releasing music on several platforms.
Aries draws on personal experience as well as the experience of others for her work, and aims to express real feelings on paper to reach out to anyone who is willing to listen.
The Importance of Kindness by George Saunders
“I’d say, as a goal in life, you could do worse than: Try to be kinder.
In seventh grade, this new kid joined our class. In the interest of confidentiality, her name will be “ELLEN.” ELLEN was small, shy. She wore these blue cat’s-eye glasses that, at the time, only old ladies wore. When nervous, which was pretty much always, she had a habit of taking a strand of hair into her mouth and chewing on it.
So she came to our school and our neighborhood, and was mostly ignored, occasionally teased (“Your hair taste good?” — that sort of thing). I could see this hurt her. I still remember the way she’d look after such an insult: eyes cast down, a little gut-kicked, as if, having just been reminded of her place in things, she was trying, as much as possible, to disappear. After awhile she’d drift away, hair-strand still in her mouth. At home, I imagined, after school, her mother would say, you know: “How was your day, sweetie?” and she’d say, “Oh, fine.” And her mother would say, “Making any friends?” and she’d go, “Sure, lots.”
Sometimes I’d see her hanging around alone in her front yard, as if afraid to leave it.
And then — they moved. That was it. No tragedy, no big final hazing.
One day she was there, next day she wasn’t.
End of story.
Now, why do I regret that? Why, forty-two years later, am I still thinking about it? Relative to most of the other kids, I was actually pretty nice to her. I never said an unkind word to her. In fact, I sometimes even (mildly) defended her.
But still. It bothers me.
So here’s something I know to be true, although it’s a little corny, and I don’t quite know what to do with it:
What I regret most in my life are failures of kindness.
Those moments when another human being was there, in front of me, suffering, and I responded … sensibly. Reservedly. Mildly.
Or, to look at it from the other end of the telescope: Who, in your life, do you remember most fondly, with the most undeniable feelings of warmth?
Those who were kindest to you, I bet.
But kindness, it turns out, is hard — it starts out all rainbows and puppy dogs, and expands to include . . . well, everything.”
If you haven’t checked out Brainpickings.org, it has some amazing information.
