Setting the Wastebasket on FIRE - by Bonnie L Simon (Paperback)

About the Book

A young widow describes her journey from the gut wrenching passing of her husband to a personal life transformation in which a flock of chickens help her answer the question of "why am I still here?"

Book Synopsis

" Many people turn to something destructive to deal with grief, like drugs or alcohol," a grief counselor said to me. " Many people turn to something destructive to deal with grief, like drugs or alcohol," a grief counselor said to me. "But not you. You turned an obsession with chickens into a way of dealing with loss."

I was a 39-year-old corporate systems analyst when my 45-year old husband suddenly got Acute Lymphocytic Leukemia and passed away within 6 weeks, sending me on a confusing journey of trying to understand life and death.We hardly ever encounter death in our modern, urban world; but that changes when you invite a flock of chickens to live in the backyard. For all that we think we're in charge, they come and go on their own time. They live and die without ever asking permission from the people who feed them. My hilarious flock of yard birds taught me everything I ever wanted to know about life and death, but that's not all. Those chickens also taught me what I needed to know... if Dave is gone then why am I still here?

Review Quotes

"...incredibly uplifting, deeply moving, thought provoking and humbling. Who knew chickens could help us see the intricacies of life?" - Marilan L.

"As another widow, I can relate and have a unique understanding of the experiences only those of us in "the club" can grasp. But I also think you are sharing life's truths that apply to all of us." - Lori B.

"In Setting the Wastebasket on Fire, author Bonnie Simon opens her heart and bares her soul as she shares her journey from despair to peace following the sudden death of her husband of twelve years. Interspersing excerpts from the blog she wrote during his illness with a heart-tugging account of the pain of his loss, the author retraces her search for the answer to the searing question that haunted her: "Why am I still here?" Her discovery of the "why" in the most unlikely place and the lessons she learned from the most improbable teachers-her backyard and the flock chickens she raises-transform her life. Intimate and inspirational, this gem of a book offers light in the darkness of grief. It grabbed me from the beginning and refuses to let go." - Sharon Gloger Friedman