Friday, May 03, 2013

Hope, Inspiration, and Wisdom: A Treasury of Thoughts on Coping with Kidney Disease




This showed up on my doorstep today.  It's a book from the Renal Support Network, a treasury of essays generated from their annual essay contest.  Remember that contest? I entered and won $50 for being honorably mentioned.  I was pretty stoked about the $50, which I think I spent on a pedicure, and plus I got a cute certificate that I ended up throwing away.  (My apologies to whatever graphic designer made that certificate.  It really was quite lovely.  It wasn't personal, I just have a hard time managing paper in my life.)  I thought the cash and the certificate would be it, but, here we are, a book!

The essays are short, which makes for a quick read, I'd imagine. I haven't read it yet. I don't know if any of the essays are good, and my own essay is constrained by the topic and the word count limit of the essay contest (although I'm noticing that not every essay adhered to that word count.  I edited my dang essay so many times to get it within the word count that it makes me a little annoyed that others ignored it, but whatever.  I'm not bitter or anything.).  I would have written a very different essay about PKD if the theme had been more fluid and less specific, but to be honest, I wasn't writing it to be heard or even to express myself, I was writing it for the money.  First place was a couple of hundred bucks, which sounded appealing and within my reach.

So it's a pleasant surprise to be included in this treasury, and I'm glad it's out there.  I think it's supposed to be Chicken Soup for the Kidney Failing Soul, or something. I know I sound like I'm being flippant, but actually, I think this is really cool.  I always feel a little guilty about how little I do to raise awareness, so I'm grateful that there are folks like the Renal Support Network who take this work more seriously than I do.

So here's the link for the book: http://www.amazon.com/Hope-Inspiration-Wisdom-Treasury-Thoughts/dp/1482643537.  Happy reading!

2 comments:

Rob Monroe said...

So awesome - thanks! I have put this on my Amazon wishlist for the next book purchase day! :)

Unknown said...

Haha "Chicken Soup for the Kidney Failing Soul" ... perhaps this should be a next endeavor??? :)