A PSALM FOR THE WILD BUILT by Becky Chambers ⭐⭐⭐⭐

"Do you not find consciousness alone to be the most exhilarating thing?”

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Here I am, reading another book about the meaning of life. But this one isn’t as heavy or emotionally-churning as other reads. This was comforting and effortless like a walk in the woods, one where you look around and think, “That’s right, this is what it’s all about.”

For a short and sweet book, it managed to include so many universal themes. Introspections on being human (or slightly less human), our assumptions of other beings and how different yet equal we can be, and how change can be transitory and hard and enlightening. I found this another incredibly timely read personally as we prep for a cross-country move toward our own version of self-exploration. There’s a line in the book about how we walk through doors all the time without thinking, but when it’s the last time there’s a certain weight to it. I pictured the impending last walk through the front door of our house and nearly burst into tears. That’s the power this perfectly pleasant book packs within its pages.

After we settle into our new home, whatever that looks like, I want to live like Mosscap the robot does; engaged by everyone and everything, always ready for a new experience. There’s so much fear these days with who to be and what to do. This book reminded me of the light that’s still out there, the light that’s lived just from existing.