Never give up, especially on yourself.
Blissful Thinking is the sweeping story of L.L. Kirchner's search for nirvana that took her from university halls in the Persian Gulf to the streets of Manhattan to a sex cult in India.
Between her family's gym and the years she'd spent in substance abuse recovery, Kirchner felt grounded in physical and spiritual wellness. Then her husband demanded a divorce. Over the telephone.
To avoid a return to her addictions, the author must confront the fact that her painful family dynamics remain unresolved. She tries yoga, meditation, chanting — all the things meant to cultivate bliss and help regain trust in the universe. Each brings some relief, but she searches for the answer outside herself until finally, she discovers the gift her mother had always given her—hope.
In a memoir that's both rapturous and page-turning, Kirchner captures the terrors and joys of searching for radical honesty — and a second date.
“Kirchner’s voice is self-aware and humble, making her feel like a trustworthy guide. The themes of craving love, dissecting personal flaws, and searching for peace amid chaos recur, but her stories of her troubled personal history are effectively punctuated by the wisdom of mentors. Readers will feel a tension between resistance and surrender as she describes each new experience and then, importantly, leaves it behind.”