September 5: A few hours ago, anxious as heck, I sat in the parking lot at my local gym, waiting. On a whim I signed up for a membership last week with some friends and tonight was my first time visiting said gym. We were taking a 30 minute #HIIT class and while I was excited to try it, I was crippled with fear and anxiety. I’m the heaviest I’ve ever been. My belly gets in the way of everything. I’m not bendy in any way. Like at all! And, I have hip issues. I hate being watched. My anxiety made me get to the gym 40 minutes early. Scared I’d be late. Scared to show up after the class started. Everyone looking at me. So I sat in the car waiting. Fretting. Beating myself up for letting myself “go” all these years. If I had stayed in shape, I wouldn’t be scared I’d throw up in front of everyone. I fretted until the very last minute before the class started. But knowing I had a friend waiting and counting on me made me move my butt out of that car. Inside the gym, I swipe my pass and I can
I have been a Jessica Simpson fan since her first single I Wanna Love You Forever. And to say I was fangirling during her short season of Newlyweds, well, that's an understatement.
Last month I read her new biography, Open Book and OMG it was so good. There were so many things I never knew about her life, like her claim to fame or details of her marriage to Nick Lachey. Here are my overall thoughts and impressions of what I learned about Ms. Jessica.
Overall impression of the book
Before I read Open Book, I read lots of articles and reviews - mostly on gossip sites like US Magazine and People.com. Everything I read was positive, but one review from the LA Times made me feel like I couldn't live another day without reading this book. You can read that review here.
But back to my overall impression of the book: it was raw, it was honest, and she is, surprisingly, a beautifully eloquent writer. Just the first few pages alone, describing her fear of singing lullabies to her newborn daughter, had me in tears. She told a story of how she used to rub the bridge of her daughter's nose as a baby, to help calm her. She said it's something she did with all her children. It's something I did to mine too. And it just made me feel so connected to her as a mother. Also, every time she talked about her cousin, and her journals...it made me want to start journaling daily so that my kids have a piece of me when they're older...trying to navigate the complexities of life. They'd know that their mom went through challenges too, and came out the other side stronger and more resilient because of it. But I think that's a blog post for another day!
More about my thoughts on this book:
My favourite part/thing I found most interesting
I think my most favourite thing about this book is her raw honesty. She shared something that took so much courage. From her struggles with alcohol to havng dealt with abuse as a child, to how so many doors were shut in her face when she was starting out in the music industry. It was all so fascinating to me.
Would you change anything about the book?
No, I wouldn't. I felt like we were sitting down for coffee, and Jessica was confiding in me about her life experiences. The book left me wanting to know more about this new phase of life she's in. And I think she left the door open for a sequel.
Did the book leave you with any lasting impressions or thoughts?
The book left me having a newfound respect for Jessica. I mean, I'll always fan girl over her. Now I see her as more than just the pretty blonde who married my 90s celebrity crush and runs a super cute shoe/fashion line. She's survived abuse, addiction, broken hearts, has fallen for the wrrrrrong guys (I know a thing or two about that), been taken advantage of, dealt with the devastating loss of a loved one, she's an abuse and addiction survivor, a daughter, friend, wife and mother.
Would you recommend this book?
Hell ya, I would! I've already lent my copy to my mom!
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| This page had me in tears, and I was only a few pages into the book. I felt so connected to her as a mother. |
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