I’m reading Elizabeth Gilbert’s new book, Committed. I’m enjoying her writing style and getting into the story. This book is not the same as Eat, Pray, Love. It appears to be another layer of Elizabeth’s journey. She inspires me to write my story, which I do already do and have been doing. In bits and pieces. Nothing continuous except the sweet little book I wrote and illustrated, Dare to Dream, 10 years ago. Just yesterday, I listened with moist eyes and a bright light in my heart as a dear friend described what that book means to her. I suppose I should elicit a testimonial because I would so love it if more people read it and were inspired by it and maybe Amy’s comments would entice.

When the publisher remaindered the book, I bought and then literally let 7000 of those books go down the drain. I was so afraid of myself that I left them in boxes at a friend’s warehouse for a couple years before stepping into responsibility to do something with them 4 days before it was too late. All of those books were destroyed by the flood of 2005 here in Asheville just as I was striking a deal with Borders in Arizona. I had one box of books with me in Phoenix and they quickly became a treasure, given out with great awareness to people who have come into my life since then. I may have 10 more hard copies, though thanks to my brother and his company http://booksonboard.com it is in ebook form on his site. He’s made it very affordable at $5.99. And you can share the pdf with your friends. Click on the book image to buy it. I’m making a sales pitch. Oye.

So what am I saying here? Opportunity is here right now. Believe in yourself. Take the chance. If you dawdle around, the opportunity will move on and you’ll be left with recreating it another time. The passion you used to create this opportunity will simply retreat into a corner until it is sparked again. It doesn’t die. It lives on because it is in your soul, it’s part of the basic you. And I truly believe it is part of the basic us. All this cannot be about satisfying ourselves, feeding the ego. That becomes a hollow quest. I urge you and me to be who we are so that we play our role in the world, whether it be Mother Theresa-esque or the kind person behind the counter. We’ve got to connect the dots and give this world back its soul. If your dot isn’t there, we don’t have the whole picture.