David Whyte (1) (1955–)

I got perhaps one third of the way into this book and then took it back to the library -- because I knew I needed my own copy so I could write in the margins and underline Whyte's beautiful, insightful sentences.

I've been struggling with work for my entire adult life, and now, at age 45, I've been worried that I'll never find the place where vocation and income intersect. Whyte puts my personal fears in their larger context of the deep relationship of work to the rest of our lives, as well show more as the necessity and the sometimes fearful risk of pursuing your true work.

Also: Whyte inspires me to write poetry. I'm not a poet, but whenever I listen to one of his lectures or read his non-fiction I find myself thinking in poetry. This morning during my commute I put down this book in order to write a work-related poem on the bus. Whyte has that kind of inspirational power. show less

My spiritual director gave me a copy of this CD after a particularly signficant conversation, and I only listened to it because I knew he would be asking me about it.

I'm a story person. I rarely read poetry, and when I do I tend to read too quickly to get the full effect. This CD helped me understand just how much I miss.

I was surprised and delighted by Whyte's reading and interpretation of these poems, including one of my few favorites, Kingfishers Catch Fire. His passionate, engaged style show more brings out the vital life behind the words on the page, and his commentary is illuminating. His personal story about his encounter with a rickety bridge in the Himalayas is worth the price of the CD all by itself.

To be honest, I'm not sure that "self compassion" is the message I took from this talk, but there was a lot of valuable inspiration about engagement with life, which I have sorely needed lately. show less

If I could only carry around one book of poetry the rest of my life, this would be it. (If I could count Whyte's friend [b:To Bless the Space Between Us: A Book of Blessings|1211497|To Bless the Space Between Us A Book of Blessings|John O'Donohue|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1409272775s/1211497.jpg|1199882] in another category). I read this collection and went on to devour everything I could from Whyte.

The twin subjects are pilgrimage (especially on the Camino in Spain) and eulogies for show more O'Donohue. Both opened my heart and wooed me. show less

great, another 'self-help' book that my dad is thrilled to bits about and insists that I read. but wait! There is something different about the poet David Whyte's writing style, a man who understands his place in the world and doesn't come strictly from a place of pompous 'right and wrong' instead he glances at various approaches throughout history, while non-pretentiously explaining his own life story all the while keeping the reader engaged. Like his Stevenson before him, his writing has show more made an impact on a youthful spirit that would usually be too weary to ever open such a book. show less