The Book of Awakening: Having the Life You Want by Being Present to the Life You Have (20th Anniversary Edition) Paperback – January 1, 2020

In The Book of Awakenings, Mark Nepo breaks open the harried existence we call life and folds it into bite-sized nuggets of wisdom that nudge us along toward expansion, a more open mind, a more indulgent spirit, all in service to elevating the soul. Nepo writes like a man who has crossed the desert and made it to the oasis for the revitalizing drink, then decided the oasis was a pretty fine place to be. A poet and philosopher by trade, Nepo is also a cancer survivor. While he fought the disease, life changed, became scary, possibly shorter, but decidedly different. Nepo suddenly saw the world through slow eyes, coming through the trauma more receptive and mature, and ultimately decided to write down his observations which turned out to be a boon for the rest of us. Just like tempered glass needs a little heat to coax it to its super state of existence, Nepo needed a little cancer to get his 3-D priorities right with his Soul.The work comes across as if time is infinite (spoiler alert: it is), so why not settle down and make note of a few things while you can. A calendar book, meaning you can read the day’s entry or you can skip around and read it in any order you like, The Book of Awakenings is not about deadlines, but lifelines. I am reading it slowly, savoring it like I would an expensive box of chocolates, but in orderly fashion, leaving randomness for the second round that I know there will be. You can’t absorb this book through a single read; it’s too rich with its lifetime worth of wisdom crammed into a bit more than 400 pages. The Book of Awakenings is a perfect read for anyone who feels as though they’re muddling through: losing life, losing purpose, losing love, identity, focus, or worse, the malaise has manifested as a dis-ease in the body and there you are, broken, alone, clueless as to how to break the cycle. It’s also perfect for someone with no problems, but many questions.If any of these scenarios sound like yours, I have a suggestion: read The Book of Awakenings. While not a guarantee of success — only you can do that — it will help you find a path in the worst of times. The Book of Awakenings shows you why everything is a blessing, even cancer, and why there is no such thing as curses, only cursed thinking, which with a little work can be changed. Nepo wants you to celebrate life by seeing the good in all things, but don’t misunderstand. This is not a touchy-feely self-help book. Rather, it’s a retreat for the mind and Soul that will provide the self-loving space for the body to follow.It’s hard to imagine a more beautiful book ever having been written. A modern day Rumi, Nepo meets you where you are and turns you from the outside in. You owe it to yourself to follow.

Reading this book daily (or often) has changed my life...for the better. Mark Nepo always seems to put on the pages what I need to hear for that day. I love that the prose is only one or one+ pages long so I can pick it up and have "bite size" thoughts to ponder, elevate my thinking, and lighten my heart. This book is one of the best gifts you could give yourself, or a loved one!

The media could not be loaded. This book is an amazing read! The author is a cancer survivor and has dealt with all kinds of difficulties, including with people. This book has given me confidence and courage to stand up to the people in my life who are trying to coerce me into recanting my spiritual beliefs and ideas. This book has also given me the courage to face life’s difficulties, no matter what they are. I have difficulties in my life but fortunately have never seen the difficulties of cancer like the author has. He is an inspirational author and reading this book has made me a better person more fully equipped to deal with challenges and difficulties of my own! Five stars!

I RECEIVED TWO OF THIS BOOK I REALIZE ITS PAST THE RETURN WINDOW ARE THERE ANY EXCEPTIONS TO RETURNTHANK YOU AND I APPRECIATE IT

I had a copy of this book and read it and made notes but had to move about 8 years ago and I had to let go of a lot of things, including this book. It did help me make a lot of difficult decisions at a very tuff part of my life. And now, I wanted a new copy - to see where I am and also, help me through the next hard things I have to face in life. I saw this on TV as part of a book club recommedation. And it is in the top handful of books, that have made a difference in my life. It's a good pick, the author is a counselor himself but he was using all of his own resources that helped him get through his own personal trials. The author draws from many sources of wise spiritual counsel as well as practical steps to take too. Thoughtful questions at the end of each day's message, to use on yourself at home. Highly recommend this book!

I guess some of us just take longer to awaken than others. I've stumbled over some of the exercises: they seem to take me off my path sometimes. But maybe when I come across them again next year, I'll understand better. No matter what, there's always something so obviously useful for each day that reading that day is never wasted. I'm very grateful to Jeremy Renner for promoting this book.

This book is fantastic. It is a daily read, similar to a devotional. I enjoy reading a passage in the morning to set the tone for the day. It helps me stay in the present and be more mindful and intentional throughout the day. It has exercises at the end of the passage. It helps you meditate and enter into a deeper thought process. I give it a 10/10!