Vivianne Knebel: On Writing
“A rich guide on how to love life and to love the love of one’s life. Vivianne Knebel has given all of us a real gift in brilliantly distilling her life lessons and how they have been impacted by the teachings of her distinguished mentors. This book is ideal for those who want to find meaning in all of life’s moments.”
— Walter Green, author of This Is The Moment
My desire to write my memoir began as I reflected on my multi-faceted life and love story. I knew I had a book within me, a story of a different time and place, written in a woman’s voice. Although I had always admired writers for their ability to let their thoughts take on form, I was unsure that I could write. Since I only had eight years of formal education due to difficult circumstances, I had these self-limiting beliefs.
When I started writing, I started reflecting. The process of reflection and the feelings of nostalgia that arose from writing my biography had a key benefit. They led to a deep gratitude for all the things I have experienced and for the people I have met along the way. In my view, writing is a secret path to constant contentment. When I write, I feel a complete absence of negativity and helplessness. For me, it has a healing effect.
Writing and publishing my memoir brings me great happiness. Sharing my story also has the power to pay my gratitude and joy forward to future generations. Working on my biography allowed me to come to an understanding of my life as a whole, instead of merely a series of events. I believe writing is a way to self-actualization. It involves creative work and coming to terms with the meaning of life.
During the course of writing my first book, “From Rubble To Champagne”, I wanted to take the reader by the hand and bring them on my journey. In order not to cheat the reader, I had to be completely honest and reveal everything. I had to allow people to really see me, which made me vulnerable. Vulnerability is courage. It is having the courage to face fear. I wanted to touch the heart of the reader and transport them into my early life surviving the horrors of war in Nazi Germany.
My story began as the illegitimate daughter of a fiercely devoted mother in Berlin, Germany, at the height of Nazi power. After Germany’s defeat and the end of WW II, I grew up among rubble, constantly battling hunger and low self-esteem. As a young child, I watched the division of my home city into West Berlin and her brutish sister, East Berlin. As a teenager, I immigrated across the Atlantic to Canada in search of hope and opportunities. But there too I was met with desperate times and had to beg for money for food.
I dropped out of school and found employment but with my jobs came numerous instances of sexual harassment. Spiraling downward into depression, I attempted to take my life, but miraculously, a six-year old child saved me at the very last moment. Shortly thereafter, the pendulum swung from sadness and desperation to happiness and optimism when I met the love of my life, Wiland Knebel. Like me, he was a German immigrant and a child of the war.
We built a life together, welcoming two children in the early years of our marriage. We then immigrated again, this time, to the United States, where Wiland found great success in his career and made smart investments. As he made these strides, he inspired me to take risks, embrace new challenges and grow. With his encouragement, I learned to pilot a plane, ran a marathon, and tended to a garden that has been featured on an exclusive garden tour. As we have aged, Wiland and I have had to overcome health challenges; I survived breast cancer, and he had major heart surgery.
Despite the hardship that illness brings, it has spurred in me a deep desire to embrace a spiritual life and to explore philosophies that enrich my soul. Throughout my journey, I have been blessed to have encountered several individuals who have offered me their helping hands, enabling me to overcome obstacles and to arrive where I am today.
My life has been one of both hardship and comfort, demoralization and fulfillment, searching and finding, and uncertainty and hope. I have learned to embrace life’s trials the same way I welcome its joys: both have the capacity to instruct us, to bring us new levels of appreciation, to deepen our understanding of ourselves and the world around us, and drive us to become our best selves.
My story offers a glimpse into the horrific challenges that everyday citizens and families faced during the war. It demonstrates what the human spirit can accomplish when challenged in unfathomable ways. “From Rubble To Champagne” is for people who wish to draw life lessons from our past. It was a gift for my husband’s 80th birthday as a token of appreciation for believing in me and encouraging me to learn and grow.
That drive keeps me going and the fire in me always burning. In being positive and optimistic, we can cheer ourselves on in everything we do in life. I do everything in my power to channel my positive energy and my unstoppable will to overcome, in order to have the best outcome possible in my life. It is important to never see myself as a victim, but instead to take charge and move forward with renewed purpose. With dignity and mental toughness, we can heal our own lives.
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Born in Germany, Vivianne Knebel has lived in Montreal and Ohio. She currently resides in La Jolla, California with her husband, Wiland, and the rescue cat they recently adopted, Max. Vivianne enjoys traveling and has revisited Europe on numerous occasions. She is devout in her practice of daily mediation and passionate about studying the works of great poets and philosophers.
Find out more about her website https://vivianneknebel.com/
Lessons Learned About Life and Love: Living with Intention and with Wisdom from Great Minds
Born in Berlin during WWII Vivianne grew up in the post war years. Those challenging times left their mark on her but also toughened her against all the adversities of this world.
Vivianne endured intense physical, emotional, and political oppression in the most visceral ways starting from the day she was born. Many would say that she experienced more trauma before the age of fourteen than many will in a lifetime.
Her life has been one of both hardship and comfort, demoralization and fulfillment, searching and finding, and uncertainty and hope. It is amazing what the human spirit can accomplish through will and determination.
All the obstacles she had faced and conquered are now valuable life lessons.
Having always been a seeker and a searcher she is passionate about studying the works of great poets and philosophers. They have helped her make sense of the world, and their wisdom allowed her to cope in flexible ways with the challenges life throws her way. She has overcome many hurdles and achieved the peace of a truly loved and appreciated life. Many philosophers, poets, and scientists equate this state to beauty.
In her second book “Lessons Learned About Life and Love” , Vivianne shares some of the lessons she has learned from writers and thinkers such as Dr. Wayne Dyer and Dr. Viktor Frankl, weaving them into her own experiences in a compelling guide to living, loving and thriving in old age. Her insights offer proof that great wisdom is not gained only from the classroom or the lecture hall, and that one need not look far to understand the secrets to living well. From anecdotes about her everyday rituals to memories from her world travels, Vivianne captures the profound and often surprising moments of enlightenment that can be found right in front of us, if we only know where- and how-to look.
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Category: On Writing
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