Hello friends and Happy Thanksgiving week!
I’m sure your inbox is crammed with holiday shopping deals, so if you’re here reading this message and it didn’t get lost in your inbox, hooray! I’ll keep it (relatively) short because you’ve probably got pies to bake and potatoes to mash, but I wanted to give you the latest details about the book.
The book is…done! 
As in, yesterday I clicked the final button to distribute it to all the various online retailers. It can take a few days for the listings to populate, so I don’t have any direct links to send you just yet, but just know that it’s coming through the ethers real soon!
Once I have some direct links, I’ll send them your way. It should be available to purchase through all the major online book retailers like Amazon, Barnes & Noble, etc. Once the listings are up, you’ll be able to order the book as a pre-order through Dec 3, with shipping beginning on Dec 4th.
As usual, I’ll keep you updated here!
Life’s Endless Wondrous Lessons
You may recall that last month I told you that the book would hopefully be coming out this month, barring any strange and unforeseen circumstances. Well, I am grateful that it’s still coming out without too much extra delay because there were, in fact, some strange and unforeseen circumstances!
It’s been a BIT maddening at times to work with this particular printer/distributer company, but that’s a story for another time. Last month I also wrote about how I learned to accept and love the cover despite a few imperfections. Then, what should have been the final proof copy of the book showed up a few days later with the entire cover shifted by a quarter-inch, causing the cover to wrap onto the spine. Ack!
It felt like the universe was saying, oh heyyy we heard you cured yourself of your perfectionism and declared it to the whole world, so just a quick test to see how you feel about THIS?!
Though this was a true error caused by the printing company, the whole ordeal still forced me to let go of a few more layers of perfectionism. Being a printing error, I would have loved to just call up the company, point out the obvious and simple error, and get it corrected. But that would be logical and easy, and this is a different kind of company. And where are the fun life lessons in that?!
So, I came up with a creative solution to fix things from my end. And in the course of doing so, also managed to unintentionally fix one old issue I had learned to live with, though I have no idea what I did, and managed to create a whole new issue that I then had to work through. At one point I was staring at a dozen different-colored versions of the cover on my laptop screen trying to figure out, how did we get from here…to here?
Eventually, just like with the last cover issue, I had to once again learn to accept where it was at, find the silver lining, and let go of my hopes for ultimate perfection. And once again, I’ve had a couple people report that they actually like the latest version better than the last version, so maybe it’s all meant to be in the end! Since you haven’t been staring at the cover for months on end like me, it’s completely possible you won’t even notice anything is different!
So we’ll just leave it at that, another life lesson in perfection.
The World Speaks to Us, If We Choose to Listen
As I was making my way through these latest challenges, I had to take inspiration from one of the tiniest and most reviled of creatures – the spider. I believe that the world is constantly sending us messages, if we pay attention. And in one singular evening I was given one message over and over to the point that I couldn’t ignore it any longer – unless I wanted to find a tarantula on my bed pillow that night.
First, standing in the doorway while letting my dogs out one night, my eyes suddenly went cross-eyed to re-focus on the spider hanging directly in front of my face. Ew. Then, I went to use the bathroom, and found a spider sitting on top of the toilet paper. I have never in almost forty years found a spider on the toilet paper.
Then, when I looked in the mirror I saw another spider on the wall right next to the mirror – and this time said, ok! I’ll look up the meaning of spider in my animals book, now will you all please go away?
In The Shaman’s Guide to Power Animals by Lori Morrison, some of the meanings associated with Spider involve creativity, assertiveness, and patience. And with this most recent challenge with the book I certainly needed all three! A bit of creativity to solve the problem in a unique way, a bit of assertiveness to address the company’s error, and quite a lot of patience as I once again re-adjusted my vision of when this book would launch and what it would look like.
It was helpful to feel that I would, in fact, make it through this particular challenge with a little creativity, assertiveness and patience. This time it felt like perhaps the universe was saying, hey we know this challenge sucks, but you’re not alone and you will make it through. Just to drive the point home, the next day while working on my laptop, a spider walked across my desk. Another place I’ve never found a spider before.
What are the messages YOU are receiving from the world? From the natural world around us, from our very own bodies, from the kinds of people or situations we keep encountering? When we don’t notice, or choose not to listen, how do these messages get louder or more repetitive? What is the lesson you’re being called to learn at this particular moment on this journey of your soul’s evolution?
Going Forward
I’ll keep you posted here over the next few weeks with links where you can order your very own copy of the book!
I’m also working on some ideas for book clubs, group coaching opportunities, and retreats so be sure to check out the link below and get on the waiting list!
And finally, during this week of Thanksgiving, I also want to say THANK YOU for being a part of Moondance and being here for the journey!
May you enjoy this holiday week, remember to breathe deeply, have fun, and take some time to reflect on what you’re feeling grateful for in your life. It may sound cliche, but gratitude is our quickest path to joy.
