Great question. So, I started reading SoulPancake by Rainn Wilson, and I've decided to share my journey through the book, including my experiences of widening my very narrow horizons of what I want my existence to mean, and how I'm going to make myself the happiest me that I can possibly reach. As a person, I know I'm not alone when I look back at my last 5 years and wonder what the hell I've been doing. Actually, I know what I've been doing, but it's more about what I should have been doing in addition.
Similar to Wilson's blurb about his life experiences, I aim to recollect the good and the bad and make sense of how I can augment my life's contributions and depth in the future. This book came along at an interesting point in my life - I am going through a big change in my life, with a life-altering break-up that has definitely changed my outlook on life and a huge break from schooling. No joke: I seriously thought I was never going to make it out of school. I went straight through high school through to grad school, and no, I wasn't in one of those programs where I could have skipped my masters and gone straight to my Ph.D--trust me, I would have done that in a heart beat. Of my 4 years of undergrad and 2.5 years of grad school, 5 years had been spent with the person that I am no longer considered to be "with." I had forgotten what it was like to eat alone at a restaurant, go places and hang out with friends, and just do what I want without having to consider anyone else's needs and/or wants. It's a great feeling, and a very freeing one at that. I realize those that have been single for the last 5 years may not feel the same way, but it is a huge relief to finally have the chance to be able to find myself as a person. I also realize that I wasn't me for about 4 out of those 6.5 years because I was a paper-writing, music-performing, presentation-giving machine with no time for consideration of another person's feelings, needs, and/or wants. It was such a hectic time in my life that I really wish I could have been single to avoid the heartache, but that's not the way it worked out.
At any rate, if you've read the beginning of the book, you know that Wilson asks the reader to list a few spiritual words, followed by some food items, then combine one of each to form an interestingly unique title of a project that would make light of deep subjects like spirituality and the meaning of life. Well, I'm not trying to reinvent the SoulPancake wheel, but rather just personalize my take on the book and my journey through its pages. I knew cheesecake had to be involved because it's my favorite dessert, and I needed something light and playful (but not necessarily following the guidelines of the book) to put in front of such a heavy food item... Hence, zesty. Spicing up my life is my precise goal, which I plan to do by performing a host of new activities and deeply contemplating new or previously untouched ideas.
