When Julia Baird was very sick with a horrible cancer she became obsessed with searching out phosphorescence in nature and this metaphor about finding a source of light and wonder during dark times drives the premise of this book. It is at once quite personal and very well researched. It contains sage advice as well as interesting anecdotes.
The prelude starts out with a lot of fascinating facts about bioluminescent phenomena – ‘living lights’ such as glow-worms, ghost mushrooms and vampire squid. I loved reading about Baird’s daily ocean swims with an odd-bod group, all chasing different things from the experience but drawn together by the undeniable health benefits of ‘Vitamin Sea’.
There is advice about bathing in nature; purposefully seeking silence and the power of reminding ourselves how small we really are in this universe. There are stories about friends and family who have been with the author through thick and thin, and who share in ‘freudenfreude’ (yes that’s the opposite of schadenfreude and we need more of it in our lives).
On of the chapters contains a treatise on dog ownership that’s so powerful it was almost enough to make me (a declared ‘not a dog person’) consider it for a moment…
Whether you’ve been through similar dark moments or just need a bit of help finding your ‘ert’ (Chapter 18: Ert, or a Sense of Purpose) I think this is a book worth keeping and coming back to over time. As usual I borrowed it from the library but it’s definitely one I’d like to own.