THE LITTLE BOOK...
What Is It...?
This Little Book is full of slogans, reflections and affirmations, gathered into the four areas of Solitude, Acceptance, Gratitude and Nurture Rituals.
There are 108 slogans, as a reflection of the 108 beads on a Buddhist meditation mala. Each slogan can be taken as a meditation for your day.
The Little Book can be used in a variety of ways;
You could keep it by your bed, and read a slogan each morning, to focus your mind for the day.
You could work your way through it in a linear fashion, from beginning to end, over the 108 days, and then be ready to begin again, discovering something new in your understanding of the slogan, each time round!
Or you could use it as a magic book of inspiration – the pointer you need to help you unravel a stuck point, or a problem that has been nagging. Just close your eyes, and allow the book to open at any page – here will be the pointer you’ve been looking for, that final trigger to open up the inspiration to a problem’s solution – or just something to bring delight to your day!!
Enjoy whatever method you use – or mix them up!
And now you’ve discovered the warmth and delight of the Little Book, why not treat those you care for to a copy – spread the word! “Keep nurturing – it’s a job for life”!!
How Did I Come to Write it?
Many years ago, I began to notice, after the end of my meditation practice – a simple slogan would be resonating in my mind. As this went on for a matter of days, I began to jot them down – pinning them on the front of our fridge. The collage of papers on the fridge began to grow, so I began to date them, and started gathering them in one place.
That Christmas, short of ideas for something to give to my close friends and family I decided to type and print up a few of the slogans on different coloured paper, bought and covered cardboard covers with handmade patterned paper, and strung them all together to make a handmade book as a gift.
The following year, with the help of a clued up friend – I was not very socially media switched on! – I set up a twitter account, and each morning, would come to the keyboard, fresh from meditation and just let my hands rattle out their own message – completely unaware what I was going to write!!
Time passed by, and I had shared over 400 slogans over twitter.
As this number grew, so did my young son Saul . . . before I knew it he was 18, and preparing to set off for a summer as a counsellor at Camp America in New Mexico, followed by a whistle stop tour of Colorado, Los Angeles and New York.
I desperately wanted to send him off with something from my heart that would comfort and inspire him while away. So, I set about handwriting the first full version of The Little Book in a small notebook – trawling through the Twitter quotes and choosing the ones that spoke to me as maybe speaking to him. I covered the little book once again with beautiful handmade paper and wrote a personalised message inside the cover.
While away, Saul would send me photos of the book on camping trips, and high in the mountains of Colorado. . . it seemed to be working!!
And, yet it wasn’t to return . . . this first Little Book was last seen on a seat in the departures lounge of JFK Airport – maybe someone across the world got to pick it up and experience its benefits?
Before I knew it, it was time for Saul to set off on another adventure, so, pen in hand, I set about creating another handwritten Little Book.
This one made it home, and finally provided the boost to motivate me to pull together creative friends and professionals, work on a design and layout, and finally get to print – culminating in this Little Book of the Four Principles of Self Nurture, that I am so happy to be able to share with you today!!
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