Phosphorescence - a book review

“Phosphorescence. Now there’s a word to lift your hat to … to find that phosphorescence, that light within, that the genius behind poetry …”

Emily Dickinson

I have to say that Phosphorescence: On awe, wonder & things that sustain you when the world goes dark by Julia Baird is simply a joy!

In many ways as Baird describes the wonders of the sea as well as her own journeys, the reader is emboldened and sustained too. Yet what is it that makes us happy and sustains us? What is it in her story which makes us see what we have to be grateful for, and to see all the beauty around us? To me, it’s honesty, it’s compassion, and a sprinkle of empathy and patience, it’s about friendship and going through trials with your head held high, knowing that when you take that step back and need a helping hand there will be someone awesome there to keep you steady. It’s about giving thanks for what we have and not looking at what we lack - it’s a movement away from lack, there’s so much more to life than what isn’t there, it’s all around us. Baird really conveyed and instilled such a sense of awe and wonder in me.

“When you look at the clouds they are not symmetrical. They do not form fours and they do not come along in cubes, but you know at once that they are not a mess … They are wiggly, but, in a way, orderly, although it is difficult for us to describe that kind of order. Now, take a look at yourselves. You are all wiggly … We are just like clouds, rocks and stars. Look at the way the stars are arranged. Do you criticize the way the stars are arranged?”

Alan W. Watts, The Tao of Philosophy

I don’t want or need to say much about this exquisitely written book because it’s best taken in and explored by you, so go on and get your hands on it! But what I personally cherished were the beautiful quotes at the beginning of the chapters, the gorgeous nature and sea scenes that she describes as a swimmer and explorer, the tips for being in and with nature, a pure sense of community and what it should be, the letters to her children are simply nourishing for us all as well as inspiring, the ability to let go and be strong on this journey that is life while also embracing vulnerability and uncertainty, living in the moment, standing up for what is right and standing close to friends especially in times of need.

We are so lucky, as islanders, to be surrounded by the wonder that is the sea and all its creatures. We are all lucky if we seek out nature and its little or huge moments of awe, so that we too can become luminescent!