Soon after I wrote about the “reinvention generation, treat ” I received a review copy of Slow Love: How I Lost My Job, hospital Put on My Pajamas & Found Happiness by Dominique Browning. This book totally captivated me. It was written by an author that I’ve followed ever since she took the editorial helm at the now deceased House and Garden magazine. I looked forward to Browning’s reflective editorial letters each month. I kept a file of those pages because they touched me in so many unexpected ways – the writing style was graceful and casual, the tone of the editorials had an eclectic mix of something you didn’t read about when entering a shelter magazine. The topics she chose touched a chord that glimpsed the purpose of living fully (even if you couldn’t live in one of those magnificently staged House and Garden homes). She discussed her emotional angst about her children growing up and the difficulty of adjusting to an empty nest (she didn’t like not having a choice about it), the end of a fine dinner party (peace and quiet), renovation nightmares (Why do we keep doing it?) and her environmental activism (she writes a column for the Environmental Defense Fund). Actually, now that I think about it, and reread those letters, Browning’s musings read like a blog conversation waiting to be commented on. She describes her personally tumultuous situations so eloquently, and with humor.
When House and Garden folded in 2007 without warning, her purpose-driven life came to a deafening halt...CLICK HERE FOR MORE
Here is an interview with Dominique that I did for Planet Green.