Joy

A career woman–turned–stay-at-home mother shares her thoughts on embracing inner joy in this debut essay collection.

Following the birth of her second child, Lucindi and her husband made the decision that she would leave her career and stay at home with their girls. “I really didn’t love running around the park chasing my girls for hours every day,” she writes. Lucindi missed her investment job and wondered if she had made a “big mistake.” After reading about another female executive who made a similar choice, the author thought that she could approach all of life’s tasks with the same enthusiasm she had for her career. Finding happiness is the running theme of this collection of 13 personal essays; each has a questioning title (“Are You Sleeping?” “Are You Laughing?” etc.). In her first essay, “Can You Hold a Natarajasana Pose Forever?” she discusses her love for and practice of yoga, noting that “maintaining the focus to maintain balance forever is impossible, making striving for joy during imbalance important.” Lucindi similarly ruminates on dust bunnies, misbehaving children, and the value of letting go, as when zip lining during a family vacation in Costa Rica. The Costa Rican saying/question “¿Pura Vida?” is the title of Lucindi’s final essay, which she concludes by saying “May ‘pura vida,’ or Joy, be alive and well within you always!” This collection isn’t all that substantial; it consists of quick sketches of highly personal musings. Still, the reflections are heartfelt and will be attractive to other stay-at-home parents, particularly as Lucindi explores in her essay “What Do You Do?” how “this seemingly harmless question can be paralyzing.” There’s a dash of appealing humor, too, as in “What’s Up with the Tooth Fairy?” which ends with a plea to “Love yourself and others when they aren’t perfect.” Overall, a charming if brief collection.

Sweet reflections on adopting a positive perspective.