Pleasures and Ponderings
From Nun to Nudist to Now
by Moreah Vestan
Pleasures and Ponderings: From Nun to Nudist to Now, Vestan shares essays from four years of reflecting on whatever suited her fancy. She delights in lilacs and leftovers, pulls in insights about lost loves, and sits with the discomfort of beliefs she dares to question. Her essays provoke dialogue with the reader, and she invites that by sharing her email and phone number. She feels accessible as you argue or agree with her.
She may be one of the more open minded and openhearted writers in the memoir and self-help arena. She combines endearing exuberance with self-effacing vulnerability. Her feelings and thoughts, sometimes not popular or politically correct, tempt readers to vicariously "try on" a new emotional and experiential wardrobe. Vestan makes no apology in encouraging readers to stretch their comfort levels from "No way!" to "Maybe" to even, "I guess if she can feel good about that, maybe I could too!"
The author, a monthly columnist since 1992 with Seattle's Active Singles Lifeļ seems as accepting of fears and frustration as she is of laughter and successes. She shares the pains and gains of dating through different phases since her divorce in the '70's, and keeps very few secrets of her inner workings, while respecting the privacy of the people she writes about.
She invites readers to share deeply in her sense of wonder and her appetite for variety and new experiences. You come away agreeing that assumptions can be questioned, and that there may be no higher purpose than enjoying everyday pleasures, while pondering the meaning of even the imponderables with grace and/or fortitude.
This is a book that stimulates growth for women and men open to untraditional perspectives. You'll read about honest and poignant family and friend interactions, and how she deals with the nuances of communication. She assumes a common ground with readers, asking them to get in there with her, to dive into life's grief as well as its joys. Vestan puts herself on the line through the spectrum of emotions and challenges we all face. She lives out loud. If you thrive on honesty, adventure and curiosity, you will love Pleasures and Ponderings.
