This book is a magic book! I say that because it is not the book I PLANNED on writing, but it just sort of flew out of me and onto the pages.
I always heard stories about how artists or creatives don't feel like the work is their own, that it just happened, or that someone else wrote it. I had never truly experienced that before. Sure, I have gotten lost in a project, or had projects come easier than others when I entered a state of ~flow~! But this was different. It was truly like this book wrote itself.
And I'm so glad it did!
My parents always say, that "the Holy Spirit blows where it may". I've heard it said that ideas come to artists, and either the artist acts on it, or it flows onto the next creator. I feel SO lucky that this idea chose ME. And that the Holy Spirit, Being, Universe, God, this idea (whatever you want to call it), blew through ME that day. How lucky am I?!?!
You see, I think I truly needed to hear that message when I wrote it. And sometimes I forget the advice in my own book... and it's like GOSH... I WROTE that?! And I pick it up, or am reminded by it's magic, right when I need to hear the message again.
Let me take you back to the birth of this idea, and when Being entered my life!
Back in 2019, my mom and I did a deep dive, and started reading the work of Eckhart Tolle, specifically his book: The Power of Now! We were learning more and more about the concept of our inner-Being, and were wondering how this concept could be explained to kids. But who are we kidding... kids already GET it. They just DO!
We thought it be a light, an orb, a breeze, a butterfly... What shape would Being take in a book on its own?
Fast-forward a couple years, and I am on a morning weekend walk. I was meeting my mom and sister later that day for my mom's birthday. And I had a laundry list of to-dos that had to be done beforehand. Including filling my sister's car up with gas, doing my hair.. etc etc! Busy stuff!
Then I saw this snail... and I had this thought. Over the course of my hour-long walk, this snail probably moved like 2 feet. Absurd! Then I thought... how crazy would it be, if this snail had an agenda, places to go and people to see! What if it had to get it's shell waxed, and fill up with slime, just like I had to do my hair, and fill up my sister's car with gas.
I immediately turned to head home to write this down, and then the book started taking shape. I thought what other Beings are there in the world that just ARE what they ARE? Co-owning a company aptly named Hang Ten Creative Agency, it's no wonder where Mr. Wave came into play!
Next, as I was dreaming up the third character, my beautiful Golden Retriever Sunny came to sit next to me on the couch. How CRAZY would it be if a Wave worried about crashing and breaking?! Or if Sunny was worried about getting to the park and fetching balls?
I was starting to realize... that we humans are the only ones that worry, stress, make lists of things to do, panic, and frankly... don't live in the now.
So by now... I was late to lunch, driving like a maniac to get there, while I was thinking of what comes next?! I was stressed and rushing about being late. HOW IRONIC?! I even laughed to myself out loud, of the irony of it all. Then I thought... that's IT! There has to be a girl.
Write as I was thinking up Being's advice to the little girl, I pulled into the restaurant, ran out of the car, and met my mom and sister for lunch! I couldn't contain it anymore, and immediately told them EVERYTHING and read the book back to them.
It was then, over chips and guac, and love and tears, that my mom Linda, and my sister Megan, helped me finish the advice to the little girl:
"You're perfect, You're special, just as you should be.
Look in the mirror and see what I see.
You are beautiful, brave and loved beyond measure.
To even be here on Earth, is a gift and a treasure.
You will stumble and slip, you will break and you'll fall.
But I will never ever leave you. I'm here through it all."
I cannot thank these two women enough, for these words, and their role in my life. I needed to hear these words so much at this time in my life.
When I went to dedicate the book to my mom for her birthday, she said, "honey, I think you wrote this for yourself."
And that is why I dedicated this book to me, My Being!
I love her, and I promise to work every day to make her proud.
Thank you Being for coming my way!
I hope Being blows through each and every one of you! And that you love the process and the journey of being YOU!
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