“Operating Instructions” by Anne Lamott

Northern California romantics were doing the dance of joy last week when we found out that author Anne Lamott got married at the age of 65. In typical Lamott fashion, she posted a picture of the bride and groom on her Instagram account, but accidentally cut the groom Neal’s head off. I’m hoping this was just an accident and not a sign of rough roads ahead because this goddess deserves great love. The fact that she got married at 65 is not a surprise to those who have read her books because she is a woman who is on her own personal journey, without rules or guidelines. First she found God, then she got sober, then she had a baby boy named Sam as a single mom, then she became a best selling author and now she has found a true partner. According to the New York Times, her new husband loves “Plato, bluegrass music, the New Testament and Vipassana Meditation.” Google a picture of them to see that they are beyond adorable. Her wonderful true-life story just took me back to the first time I read Lamott’s book “Operating Instructions.” It was 1995 and I was just a few weeks pregnant with twin girls and I was scared to death. All of the baby books I was reading frightened me even more, until I got my hands on Lamott’s tiny blue book. The story of her son Sam’s first year of life was far from perfect, and went hand in hand with the loss of her best friend Pammy to cancer. As I read her words, I felt more confident that parenting is not about being perfect or doing it right, but rather about doing the best that you can each day. Her book taught me that it is ok to hold a screaming baby, love that baby, but still be mad and sad at the same time. It is a beautiful book by an extraordinary writer. Now I want her to get our her computer and write a new book with operating instructions on marriage. That is definitely a book I would want to read, too. To purchase this book on Amazon click here.