I’ve been busy trying to learn more about the book writing and publishing business, which is certainly a new and challenging endeavor for me.

As I begin to feel overwhelmed with new information and skills that need more honing, I find I need to retreat to one of my favorite resources for inspiration and peace of mind.  I opened The Pocket Thich Nhat Hanh and began reading the chapter “Emotions and Relationships.”  

This learned monk explains the necessity of our need and desire to understand a person before we can love them. From my simple understanding of this idea, this relates to his practice of mindfulness- observing and experiencing the moment without projecting our own needs, history, and desires onto the other. In this way, we provide an understanding of the uniqueness of the other and can offer them positive, loving attention without creating stress, suffering, and unreasonable expectations.

I’m sure I must have read this before because it resonates with my message in Do You Know How to Talk with Your Young Child? of communicating with our children with curiosity and the expectation to experience their uniqueness rather than expecting them to perform in a particular way. It’s good to have one’s thinking reinforced!

As I consider the challenges of my writing journey, I am grateful for the new people I have met who offer positive reinforcement. I am beginning to work to put together another book combining past writing projects covering wellness techniques, self-care hints, and fun activities to enhance well-being.  My working title so far is “Beat a Retreat from Overwhelm: An Invitation to Relish Life.“

More to come!

Be well my friends,

Suanne