Time is something we have no business treating as if it were available in an unlimited supply and will always be there, like a half-used jar of pickle relish on a refrigerator shelf – Valerie Bertinelli
There is an endless supply of self-help and motivational books on the market today. Amazon offers more than 100,000 possibilities. Some are written by extremely qualified doctors, therapists and pastors. Others are more ethereal, experiential, or even philosophical. At this point in my life, I find myself drawn to brooks that are less prescriptive and pursue a more descriptive route of a life that is being lived. Accordingly, I’m happy I stumbled onto Valerie Betinelli’s book, Enough Already: Learning to Love the Way I Am Today. Bertinelli is famous for a lot of reasons. For some of us we grew up watching her portrayal of Barbara Cooper on One Day at a Time, followed by her marriage to guitar hero, Eddie Van Halen. Others may have seen her in a myriad of movies or her successful career in cooking shows. Still others may only know her run as a spokesperson for Jenny Craig. Yet there is so much more to this actress, author, and mom. Beyond all of her fame is a person that is learning to love herself as herself.
This book offers a look into Valerie’s life as she moved in and out of various stages of her career and her life as wife and a mother and a friend. A successful actress and tv host, Valerie has struggled with self image and acceptance throughout her life. Many of us have this sense that we would accept ourselves if we just accomplished…(insert goal here). Yet, as I read this book I was reminded that self-acceptance is something that we must embrace in spite of everything else. As she describes the experience she went through with her son Wolfie (Wolfgang Van Halen) as Eddie died from cancer, she highlights the reality that none of us know how much longer we have in this life. At this point I am reminded of the words from Sally Hogshead: don’t change who you are…be more of who you are.