Beachcombing at Miramar: The Quest for an Authentic Life

I read this while hiking through the Grand Canyon Spent 3 nights down in the Canyon and then hauled my ass out and finished reading on the drive back to Iowa The pages are highlighted, underlined and torn I think I ve read this book 4 or 5 times I love it and love his words I read it at a time I needed it As the saying goes, Sometimes we don t pick books sometimes they pick us This is one of them for me.

A friend of mine is on a quest for meaning in his life and doing a lot of reading In talking about books he might want to read, I remembered Richard Bode s First You Have To Row A Little Boat In looking for it, I discovered this gem It is a book that can be a very quick read but benefits from consciously slowing down and savoring it.

A good read, insightful and thought provoking, but not nearly as good as First You Have To Row A Little Boat Written post divorce, there are depressing and self pitying moments which run counter to his quest for an authentic life Still, it was worth reading.

If I were a writer, this is what I would write and how I would write it.

I love this book I just finished reading it for the second time It reminds me of some of my favorite beaches, isolated places I love to be The book is calming and hopeful I don t agree with everything the author says, but that doesn t matter.

There are excellent points to reflect on in this book I feel many will find it personal then most in this genre.

I first read this book several years ago, but I picked it up again, well, mostly because I am a displaced waterman And since I am currently entrenched in this high and dry place, I have to experience the water vicariously much of the time However, what drew me to the author Richard Bode in the first place was the life lessons he shared in his classic book First You Have to Row a Little Boat So while it was the water that drew me back to this book, I found his musings on a life well lived, and ho [...]

A very zen approach to contemplating one s navel, but outdoors on the beach The patience it took to read this book, while Bode went through painstaking detail of everything that he happened upon on the shore was ample I was hoping it might be a soothing escape, but it instead felt like redundant exercises of pick a new adjective roulette He described himself so much as an artist, yet he never shared his artistry with us How much better the book may have been with photos or paintings from his di [...]

Ok, leaving it all behind and living my days out walking on the beach is a dream for me so I loved this book Bode leaves a job from which he was deriving no personal satisfaction and a lackluster marriage to become a beachcomber He gets a beach house at Miramar Beach, California, and uses his time walking the beach and ruminating about sand dollars, jellyfish, and the mist and tide in his self described journey to the center of himself The days and nights of irregular and random beachcombing all [...]

I really liked this book, which concerns how the author left his former go go go life and his family to pursue a solitary life on the beach Although as some have pointed out, the book has shades of Jonathan Livingston Seagull about it, and the question of how the author is supporting himself while opting out of the rat race bring to mind the bogus aspects of Thoreau s Walden, so many of the sentiments expressed in here seem valid I thought about this book for several days after I finished it I w [...]

This remains one of my husbands favorite books He would have me read to him one chapter while settling into bed would frequently than not, be pushing up the zzzzed s before I was through If ever your in a tangle wish to loosen the wrap then this is an excellent book with which to shake loose Somehow it touches our secrecy aspirations and allows us to let loose and recreate ourselves with the tidal flow Richard Bode s other book First You Have To Row A Little Boat is another book of this type an [...]

Enjoyed reading this book, after first reading Richard Bode s first book, First you row a little boat Beachcombing at Miramar is a philosophical book about middle age issues and doing what you enjoy.I found Richard Bode s books almost by mistake, having never heard of either before, but enjoyed both immensely.I d recommend either to those who live by the sea, or love living on the water.

I love this book I savored it, trying to make it last as long as I could, but my wife insisted I read it quicker because she wants to read it I got it from the library, but I will own this book, it will be on my shelf among my favorites of all time to be read, again and again Simply marvelous If you are getting older and searching fo something you perhaps are not even aware of, read this If you love Thoreau, read thisupdate read it again Still one of the best books I ve ever read.

A wonderful read about one man s journey who left a hectic life for a simple one to find peace and beauty I had read this book several times and each time I find another bit of treasure to savor It is a quick read but take time to cherish Mr Bode s words, they are wonderfully descriptive I highly recommend this book It is a keeper that you will go back to again and again.

Richard Bode invites his readers to join him as his eyes are opening to the world beyond his former Madison Ave life Much of it is mundane but very interesting some of it is exhilarating I am biased in recommending that this book be read and discussed in a small group the experiences Bode relates are thus magnified

A lovely and contemplative book for those seeking to get away and or find your center This book taught me a lot about what it means to be a writer.

This is a book of quiet reflection by a man who left his life as it was and decided to become a beachcomber He tells of his thoughts, feelings, observations, and memories I like it It stirs up that feeling of wanting to get away and just have time to think.

I ve actually read this book a couple of times before As others have remarked, a quick read that is as easily taken slow and savored I love the writing, feeling, and thinking It helps revive the soul and spirit to go on in hard times.

Wonderfully written A thoughtful sensitive quest for meaning as the writer journeys away from an unwanted life and into the moment I read it is a celebration of art, nature, age and the wisdom that comes with it Of it being never too late to find an authentic life.

Engrossing and provocative book.Really good book about a man coming to terms with the life he was meant to lead Good read for anyone who wants to overcome the smothering expectations of society.

This book was a good follower of his fist book where he started his search for meaning to his life Some great philosophies in here.

Picked this one up on a whim Absolutely loved ita surprisingly good book

A somewhat pretentious paean to s simpler life.

I just finished this today and let me tell you, I dogeared a lot of pages Very good read and the blending of narrative with philosophy was a tigh weave.

real easy to read focuses on life s truths

One of my favorite books of all time A strong thread of the importance of living a purpose driven life throughout.

Parts were brilliant but the ending left me cold I d give it 3 1 2 if it were an option Definitely worth the read.

Thought provoking writing that makes you wonder whether, maybe, you too have too much stuff So much that you are missing what is truly important in life.

Okay so I only read half was that good.

Feather constant reminder of the weightless strength it takes to fly 15 6 30 1996 I am wary of those who suppress their desires for I never know at what moment they will explode 92.