Life Would Be Perfect If...

Good Morning, I recently participated in a Twitter uh Tweet thread to complete the phrase "Life Would Be Perfect If..." The original source was Meghan Daum. The prompt an open invitation to her followers to help promote her new book... whoa to the eager fan and novice Tweeter. In the "whoops!" of a keyboard click, I conveyed to an audience of one (Meghan Daum) or the tech savvy listening audience of NPR's Morning Edition that I have an upstairs neighbor who wears ski boots. (#Life Would be Perfect if...@Meghan_Daum...My upstairs neighbor went on a very long summer vacation! Right now i think she is doing aerobics in ski boots!) anyway I think the reason for my eager excitement was that in four weeks I will be attending a writers conference and taking a week long nonfiction writing course with Meghan Daum. I feel the need to prepare for such things so this morning, I thought I'd write a book review. Alo Book Review "Life Would Be Perfect If I Lived in That House" I was very worried that this book would be hard to read. As a non-home owner, I grit my teeth at the very thought of watching HGTV or stopping by my apartment rental office to inquire about upgrading to the new "Serenity" model...a more spacious floor plan. Much to my surprise, within the first few pages of "Life Would be Perfect If..." I did not need my "zero-depth lagoon style pool" or "large garden tub" (perks of the luxury apartment community) to douse my disappointment. …in the first few pages instead of conversation as deep as a newly rolled wall paper I found MD's intelligent, incredibly honest self-exploration into her real-estate obsession. She takes her reader on the journey from her multiple moves through childhood, to her "I majored in moving" college years at Vassar, the rent challenged apartment years that come with an entry level writing job in NYC, and as an adult her ping pong moves across the country between farm houses in Nebraska and L.A. Life Would be Perfect If…I Lived in That House? MD's assertion becomes a question as she slips into the craziness of the real-estate game (in L.A. California in the early 00's). She finds that she no longer functions in her daily life. Her writing, reading, and social life have slowed to a trickle...she wants a house more than she wants a boyfriend. (While I believe even for the apartment renter..."crown molding" or a "spacious sunroom" could go a long way...) The cool factor of this book is in the deeper message. It can be found in MD's inner often witty musings. ...In a description she provides for a catalog clothing company called "Soft Surroundings..." pp. 197 There was one particular ballet top that I liked so much I purchased it in six different colors. I also ordered a long, embroidered jacket with a Japanese-style collar that was entirely too big for me even in extra small (one of the seductions of the catalog is self-delusion engendered by its enormous sizes) and, I later realized, made me look like the “artsy grandma” on a Lipotor commercial. The message seems clear. We are hardwired to search for authenticity in our inner and outer lives. anyway... In 2004, 36-year-old single woman with a dog MD purchases her first home. The remainder of the book is spent with MD against all prior wisdom meeting a man and answering the question...Life would be perfect if i lived in that house? No it wouldn’t MD concludes but it’s worth looking at what’s going on with ourselves in the process. In MD's case the perfect house and the perfect man provided overcrowding and a little space to think again. Her final lesson arrived at...It's not finding the home that makes us whole it's letting it be... Would I recommend this book? Yes, with a few simple reservations. At times it seemed MD is making the blanket assumption that everyone was crazy-eyed or talking home ownership in the early 00's (or at least held interest in rental properties). At a similar age, i have not experienced this yet. i hold in my hand seven brochures for luxury apartment communities and still have no memories that living in Runaway Bay or having a "Serenity" floor plan will bring me any...i can only recall memories that this (acquiring housing) is no fun. This one is minor. The next one is a biggie for me. The heart of this book, MD's first home purchase took place in 2004. This unfortunately was also the time of the Indian Ocean Tsunami where over 200,000 people died...many from inadequate shelter. I think this book is best for those whose dreams are still intact. This book is for someone who is a least able to think middle class. Happy Monday, (okay i might have to leave those last two points off if she asks at the conference) Amanda