Overview

2023 Catholic Media Association Second Place Award, Poetry In 2018, Betsy Johnson’s life went sideways. She was diagnosed with breast cancer, had to undergo chemo and radiation, and was asked for a divorce she didn’t want. Betsy knew there were all kinds of things she could do to numb the pain, but she wanted to get better, not worse. She decided to walk through this crucible with hope and grit, and thus began these meditations. To heal, we have to get real and name the mess, the fear, the pain. And we have to see a way forward. A way out. Or at least a way to sit while the storm crashes . . . because no storm in the history of the world has ever been able to hold the sky forever. Whatever you or someone you love are facing, these meditations can bring a hit of hope and help you not only to survive but to live light.

Full Product Details

Author:   Betsy Johnson
Publisher:   Liturgical Press
Imprint:   Liturgical Press
Dimensions:   Width: 12.70cm , Height: 1.00cm , Length: 17.80cm
Weight:   0.142kg
ISBN:  

9780814667712

ISBN 10:   0814667716
Pages:   136
Publication Date:   11 March 2022
Audience:   College/higher education ,  Professional and scholarly ,  Tertiary & Higher Education ,  Professional & Vocational
Format:   Paperback
Publisher's Status:   Active
Availability:   In stock  
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Table of Contents

Contents Introduction xi Part One: The Way It Is Trying to be perfect is a kind of hell 2 Most of us would rather have a root canal 4 Notice when your flaws are in play 6 Life will give you cliffs . . . and strawberries 8 Part Two: Like/As This isn’t a perfect metaphor 12 Like Don Quixote, know adventure awaits 14 Consider the boulder 16 What if you invited more weeds and wild into your life? 18 Your chance to dance in dead leaves 20 Be as still as a wide-open prairie 22 Consider the acorn 24  Peace—like lasagna—doesn’t just happen 26 If you have a mountain in your life, put on a sturdy pair of shoes 28 Even creatures with wings sometimes scream as they wheel in the bluest sky 30 A door asks you to live somewhere between 32 Part Three: Dead Ends Don’t give me the pat answer 36 The world wants you to hide what is weird 38 Can you quit trying to make a U-turn? 40 You can live on autopilot 42 Just don’t let them drive the bus 44 Part Four: My (Tougher) Advice Have a seat 48 Eyes on your own mat 50 Decide now to be a bad ass with a big heart 52 Begin again and fail better 54 Cherish your scars 56 Stoke your inner fire 58 Remember the wondrous space 60 Board by board, nail by nail 62   Dammit, this matters. Trust me. 66 Do not ruin the good with “what if ” 68 There is no magic wand 70 Part Five: My (Gentler) Advice You don’t have to do another damn thing 74 Or you can let go of the things that weigh you down 76 Encourage what is good 78 Perhaps, you could consider living the gentler verbs 80 A practice of endurance 82 And if something is big, give it time 84 And if you can’t live with the uncertainty 86 Remember, pretty flowers come from shit 90 Encore yourself with joy, baby 92 In this new space, see what is 94 You deserve to be looked at with love and grace 96 Part Six: What You’ve Done/Are Doing/Will Do What deserves your attention? 100 Can you tell when you are growing prickly? 102 And it might have been horrible, harrowing, but you have survived 104   Maybe it is a good time to surrender 106 You are bigger than your thinks 108 You have already done so much 110 You have a light inside 112 This is not the end of your story 114

Reviews

In short, plain-spoken meditations based on her experiences with suffering and the teachings and practice of yoga and Buddhism, Betsy Johnson offers a series of much-needed balms for those suffering from personal and societal wounds--which, in these times, is all of us. With its emphasis on breathing deeply and being still, this is a book to read slowly, mindfully, and with an openness to all life offers. Michael McGregor, author of Pure Act: The Uncommon Life of Robert Lax

"""Inspired and inspiring, thoughtful and consoling."" Midwest Book Review ""Betsy Johnson's A Hit of Hope is also a hit of humanity at the very moment we need it most. Whether you read one tiny piece a day or all of them in one sitting, you're sure to feel more nurtured, mindful, and powerful in their wake."" Chloe Shaw, Author of What Is a Dog? ""If as Viktor Frankl reminds us, 'Suffering ceases to be suffering at the moment it finds a meaning, ' then open Betsy Johnson's wonderfully wise A Hit of Hope. Let her guide you toward that meaning with a voice forged from her own very human struggles, for her insights shine with the kind of light that can only come from one who has endured the burning. Step into each of these 'Hits of Hope, ' these meditations on how to be, and open to the weird in you, the child in you, the flawed and beautiful being in you. This is not a book to read. It is a book that invites us to celebrate the divine in ourselves, that reminds us how each of us, broken as we are, form a piece of that divinity. As Betsy Johnson reminds us, 'It's easy to become restless. To turn to a phone.' Dear reader. Take my advice. It's much, much better to turn to this light-filled book."" Peter Grandbois, author of Last Night I Aged a Hundred Years ""In short, plain-spoken meditations based on her experiences with suffering and the teachings and practice of yoga and Buddhism, Betsy Johnson offers a series of much-needed balms for those suffering from personal and societal wounds--which, in these times, is all of us. With its emphasis on breathing deeply and being still, this is a book to read slowly, mindfully, and with an openness to all life offers."" Michael N. McGregor, author of Pure Act: The Uncommon Life of Robert Lax"

Author Information

Betsy Johnson hails from a small town in southwestern Minnesota, and her meditations have been downloaded over 100,000 times on the Insight Timer app. She is a writer, professor, and yoga teacher who talks to trees and believes the blue eggs from her local food co-op are magic.

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