Time Poor Soul Rich

I'm not a huge fan of the term 'juggling life'. We tend to use it a lot these days referring to how we try to manage life, family, work and the many other things which make up who we are. So I was relieved when Time Poor, Soul Rich by Anne Winckel which has been short listed for the Australian Christian book of the year, clearly states that this is not what the book is about. Instead, as the title suggests it's a book for professional women who want to get their souls back in the midst of living very busy lives. Winckel believes that it is possible for women to be soul rich even though the reality is that we are time poor. I really like this book because it focuses on encouraging women to practice a day to day spirituality as opposed to simply living for survival. Spirituality for Winckel, is not disembodied and withdrawing from the world. Instead it's about creativity, connecting with our most loved, precious friends and family and about giving generously to our world. It's a grounded spirituality. It's a spirituality that everyone needs to connect with in order to thrive, and especially busy, professional working women, who have so much on their plate that the idea of soul care can become a bit of a distant dream. But life has to be more than about getting through the daily grind and longing for holiday time to arrive right? Personally, Winckel has a lot to contribute to this important topic because she is a sought after lawyer, educator and convener of a few women's groups. She has also experienced feeling like a mere 'shadow of herself' because her work life was at one stage, overtaking everything else. I think many of us can identify with that. With wit, wisdom and plenty of stories from other women of all walks of life who are on a similar journey, this book is warm yet deeply practical, light yet definitely not trivial and it's a refreshing read compared to your typical, shallow self help book. I'm glad she wrote it and I hope it helps women to do much more than 'juggle' life. I hope it helps them, in some way, to get their souls back.