Title: Dancing Barefoot in the Rain: How to Fully Embrace Your Life
(2nd edition)
Author: Elisabeth Stjerne
Genre: Travel
Publisher: TopLink Publishing, LLC
Pages: 218
Reviewed by: Lisa Brown-Gilbert
Pacific Book Review
Essentially, as affecting as it is inspiring, Elizabeth Stjeren’s Dancing in the Rain: How to Fully Embrace Your Life memorializes the travels, travails and spiritual growth of central character, Hope; a young woman so dissatisfied with the doldrums of her life that she dares to brave traveling the world alone to live out her dreams. Based on her actual empowering venture with world travel, Swedish born author Elisabeth Stjerne, shares her story through a fictional characterization of Hope (also representing a literal depiction of hope itself).
At the outset, Hope finds herself dissatisfied with her life at a young age, from her job to her fiancé, she desires more, especially since she had always imagined herself as an adventurer. Consequently, Hope finds herself sad and disheartened by her frustrations and triggered memories of when she and her grandfather shared a close bond, as well as dreams of world travel. Albeit, her grandfather died without achieving his dream, Hope courageously intends to pay honor to her grandfather’s dreams and memory by succeeding at traveling the world and living out her dreams, resolving that she will not have to look back on her life with regrets as others had seemed to. Thusly, undaunted in her decisive life change, Hope lets go of her old life, transgressing the advice of loved ones, she sets out to see the world as a lone female traveler, venturing to many beautiful, bountiful places such as; The Pacific Islands, Australia, Latin America, Los Angeles, Malaysia, and Guatemala, the end results of which allowed for her self-growth, permanently altering her perspectives on life, love, fears, and relationships.
Ultimately, Hope transforms, by virtue of her experiences, and while her journey does open her up to perceiving life differently, it also opens the door to some precarious situations that lead to some very important life lessons including the fomentation of her courage as she learns to conquer her fears.
I enjoyed reading author Stjerne’s story. Additionally, aside from being an author, Elisabeth Stjerne is a Deep Energy Mindfulness coach of which she helps people to change their perspective and their lives, and her expertise in this field plays out authentically throughout the story. Conclusively, author Elisabeth Stjeren’s story serves to inspire as well as enriches the spiritual psyche of the reader, particularly by emphasizing several empowering spiritual energetic tenets learned along her distinctly transformative path, such as; maintaining a positive vision in your life, focusing on the present and not dwelling on the past, the power of forgiveness and words have power, as do negative thoughts.
Altogether, Dancing Barefoot in the Rain turned out to be an emotionally stirring read, that was easy to engage with, learn from, and enjoy and I highly recommend it.
