I am here with a proclamation: I became one of Glennon Doyle’s biggest fans over the past 24 hours.
I first heard her name a month after Ramón died. I visited a good friend, Alyssa, for coffee, and we were waxing philosophical — or trying, at least. Alyssa referenced a quote about pain Glennon recently posted online from her book, Untamed.
(I just looked back at my messages to re-read the quote, and HOLY SMOKES! Alyssa sent it to me two years ago to the day! My superfandom has gone up a few more notches!)
As with many things that happened in those first weeks of widowhood, I moved on from the conversation almost immediately. My visit with Alyssa was one of the last things I did before flying from Atlanta to Michigan to throw Ramón off a boat (i.e., scatter his ashes) so I was a little hot-messish.
Over the next several months, I listened to a few episodes from Glennon's podcast, We Can Do Hard Things. Then, about a year ago, I listened to another episode after a widow friend, Stacey, referenced the episode, "FUN: What the hell is it and why do we need it?" This prompted me to be more deliberate about cultivating fun in my life, even though it felt strangely against society’s expectations for young widows.
Last night, another widow friend, Lindsey, texted to ask the latest about my book-publishing quest. She’s a memoir-reading freak like me, so I asked her if my writing style reminded her of anyone else’s. Her response? Glennon Doyle. I immediately went to the library website and placed a hold on Untamed.
Then, in the car last night and again today, I listened to a few of Glennon’s talks. My soul came to life. I went this morning to pick up the book. (Then I almost went to the police station to pre-emptively place a restraining order on myself because things with Glennon are moving so fast.)
So, Glennon. The last 24 hours have been a whirlwind, but I’m here to stay. Yes, I will be on your podcast. Yes, you can review my book. Yes to all of it.
