Description
It’s easy to think that meaning, fulfillment, and bliss are “out there,” somewhere outside of our daily routine. But in this playful yet profound reflection on awareness, the compelling voice of a contemporary woman reveals the happiness at the bottom of the laundry basket, the love in the kitchen sink, and the peace possible in one’s own backyard. Follow Karen Maezen Miller through youthful ambition and self-absorption, beyond a broken marriage, and into the steady calm of a so-called ordinary life. In her hands, household chores and caregiving tasks become opportunities for self-examination, lessons in relationship, and liberating moments of selflessness. With attention, it’s the little things — even the unexpected, unpleasant, and unwanted things — that count.
Endorsements
“The skillful weaving of personal anecdotes, a few Zen terms, and acute insights — sometimes addressing the reader directly — distinguish this book from others in the genre....This disarming book is full of deft and reassuring observations.”
— Publishers Weekly
“Miller's homey examples help readers visualize and feel, rather than intellectualize, the message she's trying to impart. A good starting tool for those seeking an alternative to both traditional self-help psychology and spiritual practices.”
— Library Journal
“A direct reminder that wakefulness lurks in the moments of everyday life, whether they are completely joyful or completely a mess.”
— Susan Piver, author of The Wisdom of a Broken Heart
“Ever found yourself up to your elbows in the messy stuff of your own everyday life and wondered, ‘Is this all there is?’ Karen Maezen Miller answers that age-old question with a resounding ‘Yes.’ Read this deceptively simple, deeply wise little book not to change your life but to fall quietly, unequivocally back in love with the life you already have.”
— Katrina Kenison, author of The Gift of an Ordinary Day
“Hand Wash Cold is Eat, Pray, Love without all the scurrying from something.…Exceedingly wise and gentle, this book reminds us of the precious lives we’ve already been given and whispers, ‘Quit looking someplace else.’”
— Elissa Elliott, author of Eve: A Novel
— Publishers Weekly
“Miller's homey examples help readers visualize and feel, rather than intellectualize, the message she's trying to impart. A good starting tool for those seeking an alternative to both traditional self-help psychology and spiritual practices.”
— Library Journal
“A direct reminder that wakefulness lurks in the moments of everyday life, whether they are completely joyful or completely a mess.”
— Susan Piver, author of The Wisdom of a Broken Heart
“Ever found yourself up to your elbows in the messy stuff of your own everyday life and wondered, ‘Is this all there is?’ Karen Maezen Miller answers that age-old question with a resounding ‘Yes.’ Read this deceptively simple, deeply wise little book not to change your life but to fall quietly, unequivocally back in love with the life you already have.”
— Katrina Kenison, author of The Gift of an Ordinary Day
“Hand Wash Cold is Eat, Pray, Love without all the scurrying from something.…Exceedingly wise and gentle, this book reminds us of the precious lives we’ve already been given and whispers, ‘Quit looking someplace else.’”
— Elissa Elliott, author of Eve: A Novel
