Chicago-area spiritual director Casey Tygrett's third work of religious self-help, The Gift of Restlessness, makes a case for living in the present rather than rushing past what makes us uncomfortable--after all, "holy... things live in those spaces we'd rather avoid." By paying attention to impatience, he argues in a clear and compassionate book seasoned with personal experience, we see what needs to change. Tygrett (As I Recall) writes that he finds himself unsettled every six months or so. When his daughter had a mental health crisis and he required eye surgery, he realized anew the need to live in trusting openness. He believes restlessness is an ever more widespread phenomenon in the pandemic era, as loneliness and fear about the future exacerbate dissatisfaction.
Although there is a Christian perspective here, references to "Spirit" or "the Divine," as well as a genderless "God," promote inclusiveness and ensure the book will be useful to those from other backgrounds. The Lord's Prayer offers a template of universal human questions that serve as chapter titles, such as "Is There Enough?" and "Can Things Be Mended?" Each chapter also ends with a straightforward meditation exercise. The frame of reference is wide, with sources of insight including Buddhist nun Pema Chödrön and Wintering author Katherine May. Tygrett incorporates secular wisdom and looks for the sacred in the everyday, often experiencing epiphanies while walking Winston the Westie.
Alive to common human frailties and the yearning to belong, this is a timely, practical companion for questioning wanderers. --Rebecca Foster, freelance reviewer, proofreader, and blogger at Bookish Beck