Have you ever noticed that when you’re introduced to a new idea or thought or you see something interesting or cool, that, before you know it, you see it or a reference to it everywhere you look?

I know its not just me because I hear other people say the same thing.

For instance; case in point, I bought a magazine at the airport bookstore the other day, that I rarely buy – on yoga.  I don’t do yoga. Well, I have done it before but only occasionally, so in other words; I don’t practice yoga.  But I do like the idea of yoga and (knowing me the way I do) I probably hoped that by buying this magazine something would rub off on me and cause me to start doing yoga soon.

I read an interesting article in the magazine (which I mentioned in a previous post)  that interviewed a couple of people who use yoga as one of the ways to de-stress.  One of the interviewees was the novelist Ann Patchett.  I’d never read any of her work before but found the article interesting because it talked about how beneficial yoga was and, whenever I’m considering a new, life changing habit, (which happens more times than I’d like to admit), I always need as much encouragement as possible.

Unfortunately, I’d pretty much lost interest in the whole yoga thing before the week was out.  It probably had a lot to do with fatigue but…who knows.  Anyway, I hadn’t given it much thought again until the other day when I received an email notice from Amazon about some new releases.  (Could it be that Amazon isn’t aware I check their site daily, if not multiple times a day?). Surely they know this by now.  Do they really feel they need to send me alerts?

I believe this is called up-selling; and, by the way, it works really well!

The book (a Kindle Single actually) is by Ann Patchett. Its called “The Getaway Car: A Practical Memoir – About Writing and Life”.

Not yoga.

But do you see where this is going?

The book is a wonderful, easy read and I thought I would share just a few of her words with you here. And this applies to every one of you out there – whether your art is writing, painting, photography, singing, cooking, etc., etc., etc.

…What begins as something like a dream will in fact stay a dream forever unless you have the tools and the discipline to bring it out.

..Think of diamonds or, for that matter, the ever-practical coal that must be chipped out of the mine. …Why is it that we understand that playing the cello will require work but we relegate writing to the magic of inspiration?

…Forgiveness. The ability to forgive oneself…because it is the key to making art and very possibly the key to finding any semblance of happiness in life….I believe that, more than anything else, this grief of constantly having to face down our own inadequacies is what keeps people from being writers.

and, one more – and its important

…There are in life a few miraculous moments when the right person is there to tell you what you need to hear and you are still open enough, impressionable enough, to take it in.

Wow, yoga is beneficial! 

It introduced me to this gem of a book (which I’m not even half way through) and I didn’t even have to work up a sweat! 

So…could it be that this is one of those miraculous moments…am I open enough, impressionable enough still to take it in?

Are you?

Image taken while wandering around Seattle; Kindle Single: The Getaway Car, by Ann Patchett – you can find it on Amazon.