On the cool Saturday evening of 16 March, JEWELS reading enthusiasts gathered for a JEWELS Book Club meeting were we took time to review and share on the different kinds of impact our March read "The Gifts of Imperfection : Embrace who you are", by Brené Brown had on us. This book gave us a much broader way of thinking and embracing ourselves in a way that we please our being and not just pleasing what society wants.

While we enjoyed the warmth of nicely brewed coffee, we kick started the discussion by talking about authenticity and how we have to allow ourselves to be honest and real with our true selves. Authenticity is said to be a collection of choices we make everyday from what we have been exposed to. Some people tend to suffer from fighting to show perfectionism because they want to be seen as authentic in the public eye. However, sometimes we just have to be authentic in  our own way wherever we show up and be real whether there is societal judgement or not.

A question was asked on perfectionism "Do you ever feel like you seek perfection or strive to be the best in an excessive way?". We spoke on how  to remove the thought of perfectionism because it can be draining because nomatter How close you are to being perfect the spirit will always yearn for more by setting attainable limits as we work towards our goals and strive to the best of our realistic potential.

"Creativity",  a word many think of only when it comes to art . This book gave us a more broader understanging of how we have the creative ability. We spoke on how we have to be bold and cultivate our unique gifts. We also learned how we have to nurture the natural gifts or special abilities we are all have and not just sit on them. Anything that is captivating and interesting that can teach you something at the end of the read is what we book lovers would call 'a good read' as is our March read.

Writer : Madline Gichuhi - JEWELS Book Club Secretary