How I Sort Through Books (A Guest Post from my Wife)

 As we go through our belongings and decide what to pack for the move and what to give away, I'm looking at our books with a new focus, asking:

• Will I read this book before we move? (Trying to be realistic about the limited time left here.)
• Do I want to pack and move this book because I want to read it next winter in our yurt? (Assuming that we will be too busy working outdoors in the summer, during the longer hours of daylight.)
• Is this a book that I will want to refer to for information? (And will it be easier to get the information from this book than from the internet?) 
• Is this a book that has meaning to me or my family? (Such as my "learn to speak Finnish" workbooks and books about Finlanders immigrating to Canada.)
• Was this a book that inspired me, gave me strength, or otherwise led me to this point in our adventure?

It is this last question which prompted me to write this post. There are some books that I have read, and while part of me wants to hold onto them -- to remember the feeling I had when I read them; to flip through the pages and get re-inspired; to see what additional nuggets I can glean -- I know that the books could be put to better use by sharing them with others, who may then be inspired and gain strength to move forward with their own dreams. So these books will be going to a thrift store, and I will also share their titles with you. If you'd like to know more about these books, send me a comment and I will reply.

Books that inspired me, in no particular order:

1. Beyond Black Bear Lake (copyright 1987, but I got it from the used book store only a couple of years ago) by Anne LaBastille
   
2. Thinking Like a Mountain (c. 2000) by Robert Bateman
   
3. Simplify Your Life: 100 Ways to Slow Down and Enjoy the Things that Really Matter (c. 2001) by Elaine St. James
4. The Practical Dreamer's Handbook: Finding the Time, Money and Energy to Live the Life You Want to Live (c. 2001) by Paul & Sarah Edwards
5. Follow Your Heart: Finding Purpose in Your Life and Work (c. 1997) by Andrew Matthews
6. Don't Sweat the Small Stuff for Women: Simple and Practical Ways to Do What Matters Most and Find Time for You (c. 2001) by Kristine Carlson
7. Finding Your Strength in Difficult Times: A Book of Meditations (c. 1993) by David Viscott (The content of this book is actually much more uplifting than its title or cover art suggest.)

One nice thing about all these books is that they were an easy read; several consisted of short sections with key messages highlighted.

I'm sure there were other books that inspired me, but they were from the library or I've already passed them on (or my husband has already packed them), so I don't have them here to reference. Maybe in a future post we will reflect on other sources of inspiration for our adventure. Let us know what you would be interested in hearing about or any other questions for us.