2024~16 The Joy of Missing Out

Tonya Dalton. 2019.

Let's just start right out of the gate with this: I hated this book.  A lot.  Her trite, condescending advice about how to live life in a busy world by opting out of the kinds of things that I find make my life fulfilling really got under my skin.  Some examples that did not resonate with me:

***
She wakes up at 4:30 am three to four days a week to pray.

Every morning, she starts her day by drinking a full glass of water, which she sets out the night before for herself.

She wakes up her children every morning at 6:10 am and then goes back to bed for 10 minutes, which she calls her "million dollar minutes" to "visit and laugh with" her husband.  

She has created a "laundry automation that she has taught her children so that every Tuesday is laundry day.

Several times a year, she goes through the medicine cabinet and disposes of all expired medication.

She keeps her work and home life completely separate, not even checking her work email while she is not working.

Every Sunday, they have weekly family planning sessions with the children in which they all participate in decided what not to do that week.

When her husband's car broke down and his expensive, life-long dream car was magically available for sale right then, she was excited to say yes to him, even though it was out of their budget.

***
She tells us over and over how she takes care of herself physically. spiritually, and emotionally because of this morning routine and, wait for it, the system of journaling and calendaring that you can buy from her.  Her system includes saying no to public service and involvement, to connecting with community, and to basically doing anything that would interfere with her systems and the way she runs her family.  It wasn't just that she clearly benefits from other parents doing the volunteer work for the organizations it appears her children benefit from that bugged me, it was that she seemed to be smirking about how she had found a way not to get sucked into doing anything and the rest of us that do those things are somehow the ones who are missing out on the joy of not doing those things.  Now, I am the first to admit that I am overextended and lack the best boundaries, but this book reeked of the kind of sub-urban, wealthy privilege I just cannot stand. No, thank you.

​Not recommended.
​
Click here to purchase this book and support My 50 Bookish Friends blog project.

---