WHERE TO BEGIN
A Small Book About Your Power To Create Big Change In Our Crazy World
By
Cleo Wade
Published in October 8th 2019 by Atria Books
Hatdcover, 192 pages
Non-fiction, Poetry, Inspirational
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My Review
| ***Review copy graciously offered by the Publicist in exchange for an unbiased and honest review. "There are times when we must speak, not because you are going to change the other person, but because if you don't speak, they have changed you." And this is exactly what this lovely little hybrid of poetry and prose does in its understated and yet highly ambitious manner -- raise its voice to remind us with gentle vigour that hope of a better tomorrow is not magic; it is work. Counterintuitively, for this revolution to have a massive effect, strong foundations, and a largely tangible scale, the spiritual work needs to start within a place of peaceful mindfulness and individual self-care. "We earn our optimism. We earn our hope. We do this by caring for ourselves mentally, emotionally, spiritually, and physically so that when we show up in the world, we are able to show up with the best of what is within us. When we show up as a person who is cared for and loved, we have the energy and ability to approach the world's problems with optimism and hope. When we are cared for, we are in the best possible head space and heart space to find solutions for our communities that are kind, humane, just, moral, and ethical." I would recommend this inspirational book to a wide and diversified audience, but mostly to our youngest readership on whose mistakenly fragile shoulders most significantly weighs the responsibility of building a "society rooted in love, acceptance, justice, and equality." I would also encourage the author, if she hasn't yet given this idea some consideration, to explore other communication media popular among many of us 'mystical readers' -- I see a deck of affirmation cards (in the vein of Gabrielle Bernstein and Tosha Silver) as a perfect companion to this book. To some degree, Where To Begin lends itself to that end: the author herself, Cleo Wade, devoted a handful of book pages to an interactive use with the readers. For some of the poems, she simply outlined the letters, and she invites us to fill them in with our favorite colored pencils and crayons, as a way for the readers to share with her the joy of the creation of the book. Ms. Wade's book has the built-in spiritual and motivational stamina of a mantra which, incorporated in a daily meditative practice, could have a surprisingly deep transformative power. My rating: 5 out of 5 stars |
From the cover...
With her lyrical, stirring mantras and affirmations, Cleo Wade’s second anthology of heartfelt poetry and prose builds on the wisdom of her bestselling book Heart Talk, encouraging you to remain hopeful and harness your personal power to bring positive change in our world.
Where to Begin is perfect for those who are ready to be a part of building a society rooted in love, acceptance, justice, and equality.
