What I Read (25th July)

A few weeks ago I did a wrap up post of what I’d read that week and I was happy to discover it was warmly received. I even had a request to do it again. And, because I’m nothing if not compliant in the face of requests from my beloved readers, do it again I shall. I’ll admit from the outset that this list is dominated by one particular theme. Motherhood. What can I say? It seems to resonate. I thought about rectifying that but decided it’s better for me to share what I have actually read and liked instead of curating a list in an attempt to create diversity. I can assure you, however, that each of these articles takes a different angle.

This week I suggest you read not one, but two, wonderful missives from a wickedly funny and thoughtful blogger and author I have come to adore from afar, Kerri Sackville. Fun fact: I actually met her father at a work function earlier this year and notwithstanding his own very impressive career achievements it was his association with Kerri that I was most excited about. And insisted on discussing. Last week on her blog life and other crises she tackled two quite different topics and I loved them both. Here she shares some incredibly sensible advice about the so called mummy wars that are supposedly raging between women all over the country. I have mentioned once before how pointless I find the concept of mothers drawing up battle lines against one another to defend their choices about milk, nappies, work, sleep, food, education.  You name it and apparently mothers are fighting it. At least according to mass media. Kerri nails the futility of this obsession with a very simple mantra. Each. To. Their. Own.  Even if you’re not a mum this is worth a read.

Earlier in the week she wrote about grief and victimhood; how hard it can be to disentangle yourself from feeling like a victim when you encounter loss or trauma or illness. And how much harder it is if you don’t. Kerri lost her sister to illness a few years ago. She doesn’t write about it that often but when she does her words are laced with so much love and sadness that it is both heartrenching and heartwarming at once.  

Which is precisely the same reason you should read this beautiful post by Rebecca Sparrow. Her life has also been indelibly changed by loss and this is a tribute to the darling girl she didn’t get the chance to raise. Coincidentally her reflections echo Kerri’s about the difficulty of accepting grief and the peace that comes in the moments when you do.

On a very different note I read a few interesting pieces on the appointment of the new CEO at Yahoo, Marissa Mayer. Aside from the highly publicised fact that the guru from Google is seven months’ pregnant let’s just reflect for a moment on the other notable fact surrounding her promotion. Her salary package is worth $70 million over the next few years. And that’s not a typo. Seventy. Million. Bucks. Here’s hoping Miss I displays some aptitude and interest in computer engineering!!!  Mayer’s pregnancy and plan to take two weeks’ off after the birth of her child have prompted considerable discussion. Some say it’s a win for feminism whilst others have argued it sets an unrealistic precedent. My observation is this. Each. To. Their. Own. I think it’s promising when employers embrace the stance that a qualified pregnant woman is still a qualified candidate. That’s not to say every single person will want to take on a high powered job before the arrival of a child. But. If they do, then I think it’s only a positive that it’s deemed possible. I loved Lucy Kippist’s piece on The Punch in this regard and I also really enjoyed reading about Marina Go’s experience of being appointed editor of Elle Magazine whilst six months’ pregnant with her second child. Yesterday Mamamia ran a fantastic piece related to this topic too. Specifically it was about the F-Word I decided to start using more last year.

I also read a great article by one of my former colleagues Kath Walters about a successful stockbroker’s long battle with anxiety and depression. He spoke honestly about how his illness very nearly derailed his marriage and his career and does so, not under a pseudonym, but under his actual name. Mental illness is fraught enough without there being any expectation on any individual to publicly say “Hey, for the record, I’ve been dealing with some pretty serious demons over here”. But when people choose to – whether it’s to their own family and friends or the broader community - I think it’s incredibly brave and unbelievably useful in slowly, case by case, person by person, dismantling the stigma that still shadows mental illness.

The last item on my recommended reading list relates to the senseless and tragic shooting at the Colorado cinema in the United States. There are two words that immediately spring to mind but the chance of them becoming relevant is depressingly doubtful. Gun. Control. Jason Alexander, aka George Constanza from Seinfeld of all people, wrote a pretty terrific piece on why it’s needed. He also pretty comprehensively covers the reason it’s unlikely.

Happy reading! What have you read that you would recommend??