Thank You, Joan Didion

 Joan Didion has left us.

Even though the only book I read by her was South and West, I have admired and respected her for years. I recall especially doing a Socratic Seminar on one of her essays when I was at my first AVID conference. That is when I knew the power of her writing and thinking. 

I also know her power because I have avoided reading one of her most critically acclaimed works: The Year of Magical Thinking. It is on the death of her husband, a thought that terrifies me. I know I must read it because every time I hear her name, I think of the book I’ve been avoiding.

And now I’m thinking I need to get on it sooner rather than later.

Mostly, though, I wanted to post this quote from her as a guidepost for me during 2022. This goes so beautifully with the Kabir poem I wrote about in the previous post. It has the same theme: Live in the world now. Don’t hold back. There is no reason to delay. The moment is mine for the taking. And that is a message I need to embrace fully in order to move beyond my current state.

Rest in power, dear Joan. And thank you.