Ordinary Time: Lessons Learned While Staying Put by Jones, Annie B.

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In her first book, the popular From the Front Porch podcast host and independent bookstore owner challenges the idea that loud lives are the ones that matter most, reminding us tha t we don't have to leave the lives we have in order to have the lives of which we've always dreamed. Can life be an adventure, even when it's just . . . ordinary?Annie Jones always assumed adulthood would mean adventure: a high-powered career; life in a big, bustling city; and travels to far-flung places she'd longed to see. But her reality turned out differently. As the years passed, Annie was still in the same small town running an independent bookstore --the kind of life Nora Ephron dreamed.During that time, she hosted friends' goodbye parties and mailed parting gifts; wrote recommendation letters and wished former shop staffers well. She stayed in her small town, despite her love of big cities; stayed in her marriage to the guy she met when she was 18; and she stayed at her bookstore while the world outside shifted steadily toward digital retailers. And she stayed loyal to a faith she sometimes didn't recognize.After ten years, Annie realized she might never leave. But instead of regret, she had an epiphany. She awakened to the gifts of a quiet life spent staying put.In Ordinary Time, Annie challenges the idea that loud lives matter most. Rummaging through her small-town existence, she finds hidden gifts of humor and hope from a life lived quietly. Staying, can itself be a radical act. It takes courage to stay in the places we've always called home, Jones argues, as she paints a portrait of possibility far away from thriving metropolises and Monica Gellar-inspired apartments.We've long been encouraged to follow our dreams, to pack up and move to new places and leave old lives--and past selves--behind. While there is beauty in these kinds of adventures, Ordinary Time helps us see ourselves right where we are: in the middle of messy, mundane lives, maybe not too far from where we grew up. We don't have to leave to find what we yearn--we can choose to stay, celebrating and honoring our ordinary lives, which might turn out to be bigger and better than we ever imagined. Author: Annie B. JonesPublisher: HarperOnePublished: 04/22/2025Pages: 240Binding Type: HardcoverWeight: 0.66lbsSize: 8.48h x 5.81w x 0.89dISBN: 9780063411272Review Citation(s): Library Journal 03/01/2025 pg. 12Booklist 01/28/2025Publishers Weekly 02/17/2025 Show more