LIGHTING & LIGHTENING THE SPIRIT

Do you ever find that your spirit needs a lift? I do. Just recently, after a perfectly wonderful week filled with family and friends and celebrations and even a holiday, I found myself feeling a tinch – well, I hate to say “depressed” but just more “down” and in need of something. At my age I can’t attribute it to PMS or any hormonal thing. But I’ve been kind of at loose ends and wasn’t sure what to do about it.

Last night I was just pecking round on the computer killing time and I suddenly remembered what always makes me feel good: there is a wonderful website that has a Mercator-projection-like picture of the world at night, with the most amazing array of lights in all the nooks and crannies where human life can put them. On the webiste the photo is much larger and much more "visual" than the photo above. This picture of our earth touches something deep in me. And in a strange way it gives me peace and a great settled feeling. I also have learned that for me the website is best seen against a background of my favorite “cool jazz” and I use the AOL radio feature to accomplish this. If anything can bring me out of a funk and boost my spirits, this can:
http://apod.nasa.gov/apod/image/0011/earthlights2_dmsp_big.jpg

Last night as I was looking at the world and naming off the countries I could identify, I suddenly thought of all the books I’ve read in the last year or two that have been situated in one of those countries. I made myself up a list but only included the really good books, ones that I could recommend to all my reading friends. And then it occurred to me that I could share that with you this morning, along with this very special website. I’ve listed the country that the book encompasses first, then the title and lastly the author. I’ve put an asterisk behind the non-fiction books.

MEXICO - Esperanza’s Box of Saints – Mexico – So. Cal – Maria Amparo Escandon
VENEZUELA - Living to tell the Tale* – Gabriel Garcia-Marquez
HAITI - Brother I’m Dying– Edwidge Danticat*
ENGLAND - Year of Wonders : A Novel of the Plague – Geraldine Brooks
CHANNEL ISLANDS - The Guernsey Literary & Potato Peel Pie Society - Shaffer, Mary Ann
ITALY – Under the Tuscan Sun,* and Bella Tuscany* - Frances Mayes
ITALY – A Thread of Grace – Mary Doria Russell
SPAIN TO JERUSALEM - People of the Book – Geraldine Brooks
TURKEY - The Garden of Water – Alan Drew
YUGOSLAVIA - The Cellist of Sarajevo – Steven Galloway –
ERITREA – My Father’s Daughter - Hannah Pool
EGYPT - Dreamers of the Day – Mary Doria Russell
CHINA - The Man who loved China – Simon Winchester*
ISRAEL– A Pigeon and a Boy - Meier Shalev
INDONESIA – Crack at the Edge of the Earth* - Simon Winchester

I’m feeling much more centered this morning, ready to tackle breakfast, a walk and then a little housecleaning in preparation for hauling out the Christmas decorations. All that is much more beneficial than staring at my navel.