If the Buddha Dated...

Hi, my name's Lauren and I seem to have all the time in the world right now.

That means lots of blog reading, book reading, magazine reading (get the picture?)

I recently borrowed a book from my soon to be sister-in-law (8 days! Woohoo!) called If the Buddha Dated by Charlotte Kasl.

The book's sort of mission is "how to find a partner without losing yourself." Now, I'm in no way the self-help, relationship, ooey gooey book type girl by any means. However, this one happened to peak my interest. In reading it the other night, chapter 7 Be Willing to Cook in the Spiritual Fire really stuck with me for some reason.

The chapter is all about being willing to give yourself over and really just surrender who you are to the other person and how we can actually find comfort and safety in that vulnerability. Kasl writes, "Surrender actually makes us feel safe, because there is nothing left to hide. We are open and unafraid, we cease being half-hearted with each other. [...]We release ourselves from the misery of holding back and playing it safe." She goes on to talk about how afraid we become of the shadows that lurk in our closet. However, "when the ego wants life in all its little compartments--predictable, neat, secure--smile and answer back, Oh, little child, let me rock you. I understand you are afraid, it's all right. I'm big, I can protect you. [...]Remember, love brings up anything that's hiding."

I dunno, I guess I just think the idea of safety in openness and vulnerability is a really interesting notion. But looking back, when in a relationship do we feel most at ease? For me, it's when that person knows everything and there's nothing left to hide. The constant hiding, guarding, and masking is exhausting and so distant. Love is meant to be ugly so that we can be beautiful together.

Quick, this just got way cheesy, divert attention elsewhere!

Oooo! Shiny!

How freakin' cool are these cupcake tattoos from Ace of Cakes?! I totally want these.

 source

And now, we're back to Lauren's Reading Rainbow

30min ago was the second time today that I came across When You Are Engulfed in Flames by David Sedaris.

I'm taking it as a sign that I should read this book. No, it's probably not a sign at all, but it's supposed to be a funny read and, since I no longer have to read to pass any classes, I might actually enjoy it. Anyone read it or anything else by Sedaris before?