the stories held…
July 22, 2012
My friend Chris once told me writing a book is like having a baby, you are never really ready for it but you just do it…and who knows what lies ahead or if I can even do it…but I am gonna try, I gotta.
(using words like gonna and gotta have to make agents and publishers nervous right about now, but it feels all inspiring and Newsies-like to me)
…and there is no book deal or master plan, but there are stories held and a rumble in my soul that will no longer be quieted with excuses or justifications…or maybe courage is just beating out fear at the moment.
whatever it is, it is requiring me to make space in my life for it, which is a feat in and of itself…because there seems to be no room at this inn, not even an inch. However, I am trusting it will unfold, as I listen, as I clean out each room of my heart, as I stand behind it.
In my first grown up move of very important book writing, I am here today to tell you that I need your help. It seems only fitting that we should do this thing together as we have held and tried to follow kindness so many times before.
the plan and needs (these may change because things always do):
1. I will be posting on KindnessGirl twice a week (maybe more if I have time) and will also be inviting guest posters so the dust bunnies don’t start multiplying in the corner. Please come be friends on Facebook or Twitter, I think it will be easier to update there and then I can see your face too!
2. I am cutting my speaking gigs and projects in half which is going to be super hard for me…light the candles now, giving me the courage to say no and yes to right events/projects. (AND light candles for the right publisher and wise folks to help me along the way)
3. Tell me what you love to read about, what books rearrange your soul, what authors feel like old friends…Anne Lamott and Rachel Naomi Remen do it for me…not that I could ever write like they do but I hope/pray/want my work to reflect something real and true, something we can all hold tight. Please feel free to tell me in the comments, or share your own wisdom for this journey ahead…I can also be reached at patience@kindnessgirl.com
4. I am looking for 2 places on 2 separate weekends this fall that I can retreat to and work. I don’t have a huge budget so if you know of anyone that might be willing to share a quiet space in nature with me I would be so appreciative.
5. I would love to have your blessing- any good thoughts, blessings, strong and kind words, dreams for this book…any love and kind energy you have to share would make it so sweet, and would add a shared intention of hope and goodness infused into the core of this thing…it feels almost imperative to have your joy and voice next to me. I would be so grateful and honored.
Not gonna lie, I am kinda scared I don’t have what it takes to actually follow through…but here we go.
Kindnessgirl 
July 22, 2012 at 9:49 pm
You so have this in you! I am excited for you and eagerly await to hear your updates….no pressure…whenever you are ready to post! Gather strength from all your loved ones. And as I say to my boys “believe in you …. I do!” š
July 22, 2012 at 9:51 pm
Okay, here is my first of probably many comments, posts, notes, and words of encouragement: I read your blog posts like they are a favorite dessert on a very special occasion…like a warm bread pudding with rum sauce – sweet and comforting. I feel grateful to have found you, and your stories, hopes and dreams are my stories, hopes and dreams and I feel like I have a friend. I love that you say kinda and gotta and gonna because it’s real and believable and you. The two authors you mentioned are women who are honest and true and talk about the really important stuff…so much like you! Try not to get too caught up in the big stuff and spin on the many scary details…As Anne Lamott said (actually her dad…) just take it bird by bird…You can do this! Talk soon, Jeri xxoo
July 22, 2012 at 11:06 pm
Anytime I am feeling down, or need something to inspire me, I click on my bookmark for kindness girl. I then hold my breath hoping for a new post. When I see it, I get a big smile on my face in anticipation of your beautiful and touching writing. It almost always brings a tear to my eye, and it always warms my heart. After reading your post about guerrilla
goodness, I started keeping a pack of post-it notes and a sharpee in my purse. When I went into a public restroom, I would leave a note of encouragement on the inside of the stall door. I told my 14 year old daughter about it, and told her about how it made me smile all day just thinking about the person who would find the note. Months later, on my birthday, my daughter made me a card with illustrations of all the reasons she loved me. On the third page was a drawing of me leaving kindness notes on restroom stall doors. It blew my mind that watching me perform a random act of kindness impacted her in such a way.
It made her want to do it too. Wow, kindness really is contagious. You have taught us this. I know FOR SURE that your book will be a tremendous success. Just write as you always do. Don’t write in a way that you think the publishers will like- just be your authentic self. The book will flow from you, just let it flow with no fear. You were put on this earth to do this….no doubt. Can’t wait to see it all unfold. It is your destiny….
July 23, 2012 at 5:34 am
You’ve totally got this.
You do.
And for what it’s worth,
there’s a cloud of witnesses
who have your back.
xoxo
July 23, 2012 at 3:34 pm
Ditto
July 23, 2012 at 11:35 pm
Yep. Absolutely. š
July 23, 2012 at 7:10 am
I’m really inspired right now by:
If your dreams don’t scare you, they aren’t BIG enough!
Sounds like you’re dreaming big. I fundamentally believe strong, passionate, committed women can do anything they set their minds to. Good Luck!
July 23, 2012 at 7:32 am
midlothian friends meeting has a house in powhatan that is surrounded by trees and has a lovely meditation garden. usually we charge, but given your mission, i wonder if you could get a great rate. you can drive by someday and see if it appeals to you.
July 23, 2012 at 7:32 am
Most KOA Kampgrounds have ‘kamping kabins’ – they have electricity but you have to walk up to the bathhouse for potty & showers. There also isn’t a kitchen – BUT – the fee per night is is less then $50 which makes them economical. So maybe that’s an option for you when finding a quiet place to write.
I think you do a fantastic job! I can’t wait to purchase the book and maybe be lucky enough to have it autographed by the author some day!
July 23, 2012 at 7:41 am
I will light a candle for you, my friend! I’m so very proud of you for taking this very big step, for sharing your goal, and for asking for exactly the kind of love, help, and support you need. That takes guts!
July 23, 2012 at 8:20 am
here is a link to the clearing in amelia county – very reasonably priced – $25 for the day, $35 for overnight, $65 for “weekend” (2 consecutive overnights). my husband went on a meditative retreat there and said it’s a beautiful setting. sounds perfect for your new adventure. š
http://www.theclearing.net/index.html
July 23, 2012 at 8:28 am
I’d offer you a place at our home, but it wouldn’t be quiet or relaxing. But it might give you some stories… š
July 23, 2012 at 8:38 am
You sure do have what it takes! And the world needs your work! Best wishes! Enjoy the process!
July 23, 2012 at 11:56 am
Flap those beautiful, kind wings and soar…joy, peace, love, blessings and kindness ABUNDANT for you, Jorge and your precious family and you step forward in confidence and assurance that this work, too, will be in kindness…
Peace & Love
July 23, 2012 at 12:48 pm
Follow your heart and everything will fall into place.
July 23, 2012 at 3:35 pm
Patience, this so resonates with me. The whispers within me have turned in to shouts: “write, my Lisa! Write!” so I am right (write!) there with you! The books have been in me since I was a child. No more shying away, playing small. Now it’s about letting the words rise. We should share n encourage each other as fellow writers. Many many blessings of letting the divine flow thru you. Love, Lisa
July 23, 2012 at 7:10 pm
One of my all time favorite books is Gift From the Sea by Anne Morrow Lindbergh. I do believe you will be inspired by it. I return to it very often and am able to take a brief respite while reading. Being a mother, wife, daughter…can make one feel like they are going crazy at times, however, this book brings it all together. I admire you and all that you do. You are an amazing woman. Thank you for your inspiration. Can’t wait to follow…
July 23, 2012 at 10:51 pm
Good luck to you on your book writing journey, may you have the strenght and courage to beable to start and finish it!
July 23, 2012 at 11:51 pm
I just heard about this place last night, perhaps so that I could share it with you…
http://richmondhillva.org/individual.html.
As to authors, Elizabeth Lesser comes to mind in the moment (Broken Open). Check out the book list on my blog, too. Meanwhile, I’ll be holding good thoughts for you. You can do this. Truly. xoxo
July 24, 2012 at 11:25 am
Pam Houston always rights about adventure. I like to live vicariously through her adventures.
July 24, 2012 at 11:25 am
writes not rights…
July 24, 2012 at 5:08 pm
My post didn’t take so I will rewrite it. Books are like friends to me – when I have a good book in my life, I cannot wait to sit down and read away the afternoon. They take me away from my difficulties and let me exist in another place which is pretty comforting to me. Favorite authors – have to be the southern writers of the 1940s like Carson McCullers and Flannery O’Connor – the characters they created were very real and emotional, and they did not shy away from the problems that existed during the time they wrote their stories, such as prejudice. The Member Of The Wedding is one of my favorites because I do not know that the human condition and feeling isolated were ever expressed as well as it was in the character of Frankie Adams who was only 12 years old. As for modern writers, I tend to like specific books, and some favorites are Jeannette Walls’ The Glass Castle, Ann Patchett’s The Patron Saint Of Liars and Wally Lamb’s She’s Come Undone. Survival stories, one true, the other two fiction. As for poetry, Marge Piercy – she’s been with me as a favorite since my 20s. Check out Applesauce For Eve and you will understand.
July 24, 2012 at 8:57 pm
How exciting! I completely agree with your friend; when the stories are there begging to be told you just have to do it. Something that really resonated with me when I began to give words to the stories I had been writing in my head for years was the concept of getting the editor off my shoulders. The idea of silencing that little voice that says things like: “you need a fancier more literary word for that”; “your grandmother might read this, you know”; or “quiet stories aren’t selling right now, you should jazz this up a little, maybe that character could be a vampire.” I’m exaggerating (a bit) about the vampire, but nonetheless just wanted to share something that was helpful to me. Enjoy your journey into writing and thank you for inviting us to go along!
July 24, 2012 at 10:35 pm
You have to write a book about kindness! A childrens book on kindness. You could write a story aout a girl who finds a magic wand and she is inspired to make one and leave it and the next little girl finds it. I would love a book like this for my four year old. It would transend the kindness I try to teach into his little world. He would want to be just like the little girl in the book and make one. Then you could put a” how to ” about the magic wand in the back. It would be perfect! Kindness is the answer. I have a friend Meredith Looney who started the “i like book” you can find it on pinterest or amazon. You two are soul mates with common goals. She might be able to connect you with publishing or something. You two could help each other. Let her know I told you to contact her. If you can’t find her contact let me know and i’ll facebook you two. You can do this. Someday I will be more like you. Someday soon. Your email is the first one I ever check, Thank you so much.
August 1, 2012 at 1:23 am
Honey…of course you can do this; it is in your heart and soul. God’s sweetest blessings on you!
August 1, 2012 at 8:00 am
Patience, you’ve so got this in your soul. An author I’ve been reading is Meg Barnhardt. She is a UU minister from North Carolina, as well as a DJ with a talk show. I don’t remember the name of the talk show, but I do know it has Bubba in the title. She has several books of essays that are so real, honest, and thought – provoking. I think you would love them. The only title I can remember right now is “The Karma Fairy.” I’d be glad to lend the two I have to you, just let me know. You can send me a message on FB.
Much positive energy is flowing your way!
Claudia
August 5, 2012 at 7:01 pm
Here is me sending you *blessings* *love* *light*!!!
I am reading anything I can find by Judith Viorst right now, my fave author of all time!!!
Go get them Patience.
xox
September 5, 2012 at 2:46 pm
Spread your wings and fly!
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