Over the past few years Quiet Shelters has had many conversations about the meaning and importance of opening our homes, and pieces of our lives, to guests. We believe that our home is a reflection of us, our interest in culture, our appreciation of beauty, our love of the outdoors, and our desire for community. This commitment to these core beliefs has guided, and will continue to guide, our curation of the modest libraries in our homes. Each month we would love to share with you a few of the books that have nourished us along the way. They may not all be in Kanab, some need to stay with us after all, but many will be. Please recommend new reads to us. Books are the deepest form of participating in the great conversation of humanity. We are always eager for more of them.
“Speed has helped to remake our world in ways that are wonderful and liberating”, says Carl Honore in his book In Praise of Slowness, but he warns “that our love of speed, our obsession with doing more and more in less and less time, has gone too far.” I’m easily seduced by the liberating promises of speed, but the argument in this book, that not everything done well is done quickly, is powerful. Throughout, Honore gently chides his readers to slow to a pace that allows them to enjoy good company, food, ideas, and the world outside of our own heads. I go back to it often to be reminded to not speed past much of the life being lived around me.
Speaking of slowing down, wisdom is a virtue that is often found in people and cultures that slow to a natural pace and observe the world around them. Wayfinders: Why Ancient Wisdom Matters in the Modern World, by Wade Davis, makes a compelling case that our “advanced” modern western culture is only one among many paths available to peoples around the world, and that we might benefit from observing some of these “ancient” traditions. Through a half-dozen essays, Davis focuses on the patterns of life, culture, and wisdom of native people around the world, and encourages us to listen to the myriad voices, which “collectively comprise our human repertoire for dealing with all the challenges that will confront us as a species as we continue this never-ending journey.” Though not specifically about southwest Native American culture, Wayfinders is nonetheless a thoughtful guide when considering the various indigenous communities near Kanab and the valuable voice they have in our national conversation. I pick these essays up every few months and I’m always reminded of the wonderful variety of human experience that can be seen when I slow down and look.
Lastly, and to continue on a theme this month, I’d like to recommend a few collections by one of the patron saints of our home, poet Mary Oliver. I have nothing new to say about Oliver, her admiring readers have written many eloquent and beautiful thoughts about her work that can easily be found online, especially following her 2019 passing. But listen, if you do not have Oliver in your library, leave this website and go find something at your local bookstore. Over five decades she consistently wrote the most astonishingly beautiful poetry about nature, humanity, love, loss, grief, and gratefulness, in language that was not concerned with the pretense of modern poetry, but instead was confident in the power of the natural world to shine through her always unadorned language. I recommend American Primitive, Thirst, and Evidence, but anything you find should be picked up. Her never-ceasing wonder can only nourish you.
