{"id":12031,"date":"2012-11-16T22:46:04","date_gmt":"2012-11-17T06:46:04","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/barbarafalconernewhall.com\/?p=12031"},"modified":"2012-11-16T22:46:04","modified_gmt":"2012-11-17T06:46:04","slug":"anne-lamott-on-getting-older-its-ok-to-drop-that-rock","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/server.stagingweb3.net\/barbarafalconernewhall\/anne-lamott-on-getting-older-its-ok-to-drop-that-rock\/","title":{"rendered":"Anne Lamott on Getting Older — Drop That Rock"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"anne
Photo by BF Newhall<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

By Barbara Falconer Newhall<\/em><\/p>\n

Put down the rock, says Anne Lamott. It\u2019s time to put down that rock.<\/p>\n

When we are in our 20s, 30s and 40s, we think we have to lug that rock around. We wake up in the morning, and there it is lying next to us in bed. We stumble into the kitchen for a morning espresso, the rock goes with us. We go to work, it’s on our desk. We go to bed, and there it is again lying between us and that other person. Or between us and the dog, depending.<\/p>\n

\"teacup
Morning coffee with rock.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

What\u2019s the rock? All that stuff we think we gotta do. The things we should have done. And, crap, the things we never should have done in the first place. It\u2019s the mighty to-do list of things it\u2019s up to us, and to us alone, to fix.<\/p>\n

We women especially have been raised \u201cto save and rescue and fix and take up the slack,\u201d Anne told the 120 or so people gathered on Thursday at Montclair Presbyterian Church<\/a> in Oakland, California, to hear her talk about her latest book.<\/p>\n

The event was supported by A Great Good Place for Books<\/a>, a bookstore in nearby Montclair Village. The book, Help, Thanks, Wow: The Three Essential Prayers,<\/em> is a slender volume on prayer for those who can\u2019t quite figure out how \u2013 and in some cases why \u2013 to pray.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s time to stop the train, said Anne. Time to stop gripping that pencil harder and harder. Time to drop the rock. Time to surrender and have ourselves some peace.<\/p>\n

There\u2019s a lot to love about getting older, Anne told her audience, most of whom were women, and most of whom looked like they\u2019d be open to hearing about the advantages of getting older.<\/p>\n

\"Kathleen
Kathleen Caldwell of A Great Good Place for Books came prepared with dozens of copies of Anne Lamott’s book. Photo by BF Newhall<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Here\u2019s what I took away:<\/p>\n