When the school holidays arrived, Hatmaker booked Remy into a Maine summer camp and assured her daughter that she would stay nearby. In her first experience of vacationing alone, the author rented a renovated convent in Bar Harbor. Naming the experience “Me Camp,” she followed her impulses, hiking, reading, eating alone, and sometimes accepting impromptu social invitations from strangers.

While in Bar Harbor, Hatmaker went on a date with a man she met at the airport. The experience was fun, and they ended up kissing.

When Hatmaker picked up her daughter from summer camp, she discovered that the experience had been good for both of them.

After her vacation in Bar Harbor, the author booked a solo month of travel every year.

Hatmaker resolved to give up “sleepwalking” through her life.

Hatmaker interviewed Frances Mayes, the author of Under the Tuscan Sun. She found Mayes’s story of pursuing her dream lifestyle in a Tuscan farmhouse inspirational.

In an extract from “Instructions for Traveling West,” Joy Sullivan suggests that the current state of the world’s politics and ecology makes it the perfect moment to follow one’s heart and “leap” into the unknown.

In Hatmaker’s early social media posts, she wrote about cooking for her family from a humorous perspective, gaining a devoted following. Consequently, her agent suggested publishing a cookbook, Feed These People. However, in the final stages of production, the author’s marriage ended, and she felt that the concept was no longer viable. Her agent persuaded her otherwise, pointing out that she still cooked for her children, friends, and other family members. Unhappy with the book’s cover photograph, which featured an image of her in the kitchen, Hatmaker replaced the image with a photo of her 25 favorite people assembled around her outdoor table.

Eventually, Hatmaker realized that her post-divorce anger had turned to loneliness. She viewed this mood shift as further progress.

Two months after her husband left, the author was furious to see a photograph on Instagram announcing his engagement. She sent Brandon an angry message, berating the thoughtlessness of publicly announcing his engagement before informing his family.

Noting that her heart was pounding and her hands were shaking, Hatmaker realized that her intense physical reaction was a sign of unresolved pain and insecurity, triggered by Brandon’s infidelity. She also perceived that she was still allowing herself to be affected by her former husband’s actions. Breathing through these difficult emotions, she resisted sending further messages to Brandon and accepted that his engagement did not concern her.

The author clarifies that Brandon’s fiancée was not to blame for their breakup.

Hatmaker asserts that her recovery involved learning to love her body, which directly opposes the patriarchal ideologies that encourage women to feel physical self-loathing. Referring to Dr. Hillary L. McBride’s book, The Wisdom of Your Body, she states that women should view their bodies compassionately and listen intently to what they communicate.

An Instagram post by the author Elizabeth Gilbert describes how she dislikes hearing women criticize their bodies, comparing the behavior to a phoenix tearing “off its wings” (248).

Hatmaker lists events that made her feel “beautiful and free” (249), including dancing in front of her parents as a child and receiving positive feedback on her written work from teachers. She notes that, on all of these occasions, the feeling had nothing to do with how she looked or the approval of the male gaze.

As children, Hatmaker and her siblings clamored for their father to tell them stories at bedtime. He related his own humorous versions of classic fairytales as well as stories of his misdemeanors as a boy. When Hatmaker became an author, interviewers expressed surprise that she did not study literature. She responded that she learned storytelling from “bedtime.”

In therapy, Hatmaker learned that her aversion to conflict led her to withdraw and avoid confrontation in her marriage. She slowly learned how to express her feelings clearly and listen without becoming defensive when trying to resolve conflicts. This shift in behavior initially felt uncomfortable but ultimately was life-changing.

Hatmaker describes how purity culture conditions women to feel ashamed of their sexuality, but after her divorce, she was no longer prepared to be governed by this ideology.

Hatmaker created a profile on the dating app Bumble. Disturbed by some of the responses she received, she deleted the app the same day.

As Hatmaker healed, she reached the point where she could forgive Brandon for his actions.

Hatmaker includes an excerpt from “Leave Me Again” by Kelsea Ballerini. The song expresses goodwill toward a former partner and determination never to lose her sense of identity again.

The author reveals that she has never returned to her church and increasingly looks for God in other places.

Hatmaker explains her belief that Jesus is more “relaxed” and accepting than the judgmental God she encountered in Baptist theology. Hatmaker asserts that Jesus loves her, whether she attends church or not.

Hatmaker asserts she no longer fixates on whether she is making God or other people happy.

The author regularly asks herself if she is being honest, listening to her body, and living authentically.

Hatmaker credits Zoloft for helping her through the most challenging period of her life. Although she eventually stopped taking it, she acknowledges that for some, antidepressants are a lifelong tool for maintaining mental health. Addressing female readers who use antidepressants, Hatmaker praises them for “taking the best possible care” (277) of themselves.

The author asserts that she is more authentically herself and “awake” than at any other time in her life. She urges readers who are going through a healing process to persist, and they will eventually reach the same goal.

Hatmaker’s friend Laura told her about an ancient South American ritual called Closing the Bones. After a woman gives birth, the female community wraps her tightly in shawls and rocks her to realign her body. The ritual spiritually signals the beginning of a new life. The author made an appointment with Irasema, a Mexican traditional medicine practitioner. As the therapist performed the Closing the Bones ritual, Hatmaker experienced intense shock and sorrow. Panic turned to relief as her body released the negative emotions it harbored.

Hatmaker expresses compassion for her younger self and urges readers to do the same.

Hatmaker includes MAIA’s poem, “Flowers,” from When the Waves Come. The poem presents the image of “flowers lining the front porch” (290) as women finally experience full selfhood.

This chapter reproduces Maggie Smith’s “Rain, New Year’s Eve.” The poem vows to love life and everything it offers, including painful moments.

Hatmaker visited New York to promote her cookbook. When she revealed her intention to see Waitress while she was in town, her agent put her in touch with another client, Tyler, who also wanted to see the show. When they met, it marked the beginning of a new love story.

Hatmaker urges readers to keep working on their recovery so that they, too, can “thrive.”

Hatmaker continued to wake at 2:30 am every morning (the exact time that she discovered her husband’s affair) and found that her body often wanted to communicate a message to her. One morning, her body told her, “I just can’t quit you” (297).