Elisabeth Bailey was a young, active adventurous woman who took a trip to a small European village and came home to a changed life. She contracted an illness on the trip that has left her body incapable of the most simple things we take for granted; standing, moving about, even sitting in a chair are overly exhausting- even life-threatening.
Almost overnight she became an invalid, trapped in a bed, exhausted and most alone. For 20 years she has been thus, sometimes better, sometimes worse, but at all times struggling.
This story is of a year, one of the worst ones, lying in bed with a caretaker to help her, and friends to come by every once in a while. One friend came by after a walk in the nearby woods and picked up a snail from the ground. She potted a few wild violets and set the snail in the pot.
At first Elisabeth is a bit annoyed by this, but soon the interest the snail provides is invaluable. The companionship and the activity of the snail become identifiers in each day, and the snail provides a life line of sorts. She studies the snail and keenly observes its moments, bonding and becoming devoted to the little brown snail from the woods.
The book is short, and beautiful. Really an hour or two of your time to read, but very much worth those minutes. We do take so much for granted, as did Elisabeth Bailey before her return from her last trip to Europe. But, life is delicate, and interesting, and valuable. These pages are a gentle reminder of the treasure with which we are gifted.
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