Anam Cara - John O'Donohue

This book is all about bearing your soul and finding friendship in the different parts of our lives. The literal translation for ‘Anam Cara’ is ‘a soul friend’, someone who you can bear your soul to where there is no judgement.

The most obvious thing that we first think when we think of friendship is our friendship with others. Whilst the book does go into this, it encourages one to think about is friendship on a number of different levels:

Cultivating an inner friendship with ourselves, friendship with the body, despite its frailties and mortality. Friendship with aging, and friendship with dying.

One of the most important sections for me was the friendship with work/ He challenges the ideas of productivity, and the continual need for self-improvement.

I read this book when I was in a dark place and it was a soothing balm to a mind that is constantly under its own attack. John O’Donohue subtly picks apart negative narratives that pervade our modern lives, and points to more gentle, friendly ways of dealing with the viscitudes of life.

I highly recommend that you give it a read if you have ever felt the same way.