A massive derailment in David's early writing career led him back to his heart, his homeland, his deep love of animals, and a new and thriving writing career.
This was exactly what I needed to read this morning. So much of the information coming at us with a firehose is telling us to believe in ease, success, and fame, which -don't get me wrong- are all lovely, but life is always punctuated with the hiccups of obstacle. I can't say I'd willing repeat the bigger challenges in my adult life, but I'm surely grateful for them. I also wonder, if I fought them less as they arose, how might things (or I) have turned out differently? Thank you, David!
What a great read this was. I’m going to be checking out this author’s books and I have a feeling I will be buying some of them. Thank you so much for this great interview/editorial.
I'm so glad you enjoyed it, Maggie! And, yes, David's writing is so beautiful. I love the combination of wisdom, tenderness, and humor. And his deep reverence for animals!!
I had a 7 year relationship that I needed to take space from. My ex partner refused to have any further contact with me. We had been doing alternative cancer treatments for 6 years for her. She thought she was cancer free when I asked to take space. 6 months later, she died without allowing for any reconciliation (even though we were practicing a kind of Tibetan Buddhism.) I felt both outraged and extremely sad that she would not allow me to accompany her into her dying. Our teacher later asked me if I was upset because she wouldn’t (couldn’t) do what I felt she ought to do with me. This was a profound learning experience for me to look at my expectations of what I thought was “spiritually correct.”
I had to let go of needing her to be a certain way, and deal with my own fears about not being a good person, who could bring about a positive ending to our relationship. Lots of pain and tears finally yielded to acceptance.
Oh my goodness, Jan, that's a lot. I'm sorry for the pain you've lived through. But I'm so glad you're in a place now where you're able to view your experience and yourself with such love. And I'm glad you enjoyed David's beautiful story! ❤️
Thank you for having David write this essay. I'm in the middle of a giant hiccup of a "redirection" in my life path and all reminders that I have the power to affect the outcome with attitude, etc., are so necessary, and welcome!
- I really enjoyed this essay from David; especially the photos of the elephant 🐘 & giraffe 🦒 and the cat 🐈⬛ of course.(I had 10 cats when I was a little girl 👧🏻🤣)
I’m a follower of Jesus (He is my Best Friend & calls us his friends too)...I can appreciate the thoughts 💭 here...much has been taken from the Bible over the past few thousand years...the book of Ecclesiastes by King Solomon 🤴🏻(book of wisdom & similar Buddhist like thoughts about LIFE) and then there’s the book of Proverbs with more ‘Godly Wisdom’ and of course there’s the New Testament with the birth of Jesus (God’s only begotten son) who turns the known world upside down 🙃 with his RADICAL wisdom & turning the tide of the hypocritical Pharisees & Sadducees in the Gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke & John). Where Jesus shares Stories or PARABLES to change the way people thought about life & hints a LOT at the way David is sharing his enlightenment of life’s Trials & Tribulations’.
I won’t go into mine now but at 63 years old, a divorce & 8 children & a beautiful husband I have many to share! 🤪
😢 Loss & grief especially in the past 2 years (which really affected me)...after my beautiful son & his wife’s full term twin boys
🙏🏻🩵👶🏻👶🏻🩵🙏🏻 died 2️⃣2️⃣/2️⃣/2️⃣0️⃣2️⃣2️⃣at 38 weeks! (Negligence by the hospital)
...I’m just feeling better now & would spend many days sitting on the beach 🏖️ in my beach-tent ⛺️ enjoying the beauty surrounding me...knitting & crocheting 🧶 beside the sea 🌊
(Meditating in the Christian way 😇🕊️)
But God is GOOD & we are awaiting the birth of a baby Granddaughter 💝🌸👶🏻🌸💝 arriving next Wednesday & can’t wait to see my beautiful son & his beautiful wife finally holding their daughter after such loss 2 years ago. (I can’t wait to finally hold her too 🥰)
But we know & are COMFORTED as Christians that we will see the twins again one day in Heaven (& others that have died who trust in Jesus) ...What a WONDERFUL gift 🎁 to hold onto that they are in the arms of JESUS & to ALL who TRUST & BELIEVE Jesus is the WAY, the TRUTH & the LIFE they too will reunite with their LOVED ones too - HALLELUJAH ✝️=❤️
God Bless you Jane & sooo ENJOY your articles especially this one sitting in bed this morning with my morning cuppa 🫖🥰 ☕️ ❌⭕️
Oh, Jenny, thank you for sharing this. What a devastating loss. I’m so glad you will soon meet your beautiful granddaughter. And I’m glad David’s words spoke to you. 🌸
This is so beautiful! thank you for introducing me to this wonderful human being and writer. I cannot wait to discover more of his work. I will be printing out the following quote and taping it on my office wall for whenever I lose sight of what’s important!
“ I am not a major international best-selling novelist. But I have come to see that as the goal of a frail, egotistical creature desperate for a form of validation of questionable worth. My current reality, on the other hand, is one of authenticity and fulfilment. ”
Wow, thank you Jessica! Who would have thought that sentence was to become an office-wall aphorism! Seriously, I am so glad the article resonated with you!
David, Thank You…I have never met an obstacle that didn’t offer a silver lining…I fact I’m always the detective sizing up a situation to see what it is really offering me be it a life lesson, or a new client that emerges out of it or just a humbling still needed. I am the Pollyanna of my life, my glass is over flowing with Love and Joy because of obstacles and I am very happy about it.That’s not to say I haven’t risen from great hardship and despair but can always go back to ‘why NOT me ‘ . ( secretly I always feel I’m burning less than lovely karma from other lifetimes in those times…) when I consider there are more galaxies in the universe than grains of sand on earth that always makes me feel my issues are small so what others see as problems ,we might choose to see as stepping stones to more understanding hardly seeming worth any real angst ,no matter their scope or what the collective consciousness is or the times we are living in…We are alive ( no small feat) and a very small part of being human is living in the mundane of daily life, the obstacles like pipes bursting, flat tires that slow us down so that we miss the huge accident ahead on the road ,a cancer scare, etc. etc. can teach us gratitude in many cases when we know it could have been worse…Those sometimes dramatic events are bridges to divine wisdom if we see it that way and are truly blessings…🙏 how can obstacles make anyone upset for more than 5 minutes?
Obstacle blessing is the story of my life too. What an inspiring read!
Mine, too! I'm so glad you enjoyed David's essay!
This was exactly what I needed to read this morning. So much of the information coming at us with a firehose is telling us to believe in ease, success, and fame, which -don't get me wrong- are all lovely, but life is always punctuated with the hiccups of obstacle. I can't say I'd willing repeat the bigger challenges in my adult life, but I'm surely grateful for them. I also wonder, if I fought them less as they arose, how might things (or I) have turned out differently? Thank you, David!
Truth. I'm so glad you enjoyed David's essay!
Always interesting to contemplate life's sliding doors, Wendy!
What a great read this was. I’m going to be checking out this author’s books and I have a feeling I will be buying some of them. Thank you so much for this great interview/editorial.
I'm so glad you enjoyed it, Maggie! And, yes, David's writing is so beautiful. I love the combination of wisdom, tenderness, and humor. And his deep reverence for animals!!
I’m reading this beautiful essay with a cat stretched out over my lap. I’ve never been without (at least) one, either. Now off to find these books.
Ooooh, that sounds heavenly! Enjoy the books! 🌸
Sounds like you have your priorities right, Barbara!!
I had a 7 year relationship that I needed to take space from. My ex partner refused to have any further contact with me. We had been doing alternative cancer treatments for 6 years for her. She thought she was cancer free when I asked to take space. 6 months later, she died without allowing for any reconciliation (even though we were practicing a kind of Tibetan Buddhism.) I felt both outraged and extremely sad that she would not allow me to accompany her into her dying. Our teacher later asked me if I was upset because she wouldn’t (couldn’t) do what I felt she ought to do with me. This was a profound learning experience for me to look at my expectations of what I thought was “spiritually correct.”
I had to let go of needing her to be a certain way, and deal with my own fears about not being a good person, who could bring about a positive ending to our relationship. Lots of pain and tears finally yielded to acceptance.
I have benefited so much from this
Obstacle. Thank you so much for your story.
Oh my goodness, Jan, that's a lot. I'm sorry for the pain you've lived through. But I'm so glad you're in a place now where you're able to view your experience and yourself with such love. And I'm glad you enjoyed David's beautiful story! ❤️
How wonderful that you have been able to find something useful, positive and meaningful from this dark time, Jan.
Thank you for having David write this essay. I'm in the middle of a giant hiccup of a "redirection" in my life path and all reminders that I have the power to affect the outcome with attitude, etc., are so necessary, and welcome!
That’s a tough place to be. I am so happy David’s words served as a reminder of your own power! 🌸
As Viktor Frankl observed, even when we have lost everything, we are still completely free to choose our attitude.
"My current reality, on the other hand, is one of authenticity" This will pay off
Yes!
Good morning ☀️Jane 🌸
- I really enjoyed this essay from David; especially the photos of the elephant 🐘 & giraffe 🦒 and the cat 🐈⬛ of course.(I had 10 cats when I was a little girl 👧🏻🤣)
I’m a follower of Jesus (He is my Best Friend & calls us his friends too)...I can appreciate the thoughts 💭 here...much has been taken from the Bible over the past few thousand years...the book of Ecclesiastes by King Solomon 🤴🏻(book of wisdom & similar Buddhist like thoughts about LIFE) and then there’s the book of Proverbs with more ‘Godly Wisdom’ and of course there’s the New Testament with the birth of Jesus (God’s only begotten son) who turns the known world upside down 🙃 with his RADICAL wisdom & turning the tide of the hypocritical Pharisees & Sadducees in the Gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke & John). Where Jesus shares Stories or PARABLES to change the way people thought about life & hints a LOT at the way David is sharing his enlightenment of life’s Trials & Tribulations’.
I won’t go into mine now but at 63 years old, a divorce & 8 children & a beautiful husband I have many to share! 🤪
😢 Loss & grief especially in the past 2 years (which really affected me)...after my beautiful son & his wife’s full term twin boys
🙏🏻🩵👶🏻👶🏻🩵🙏🏻 died 2️⃣2️⃣/2️⃣/2️⃣0️⃣2️⃣2️⃣at 38 weeks! (Negligence by the hospital)
...I’m just feeling better now & would spend many days sitting on the beach 🏖️ in my beach-tent ⛺️ enjoying the beauty surrounding me...knitting & crocheting 🧶 beside the sea 🌊
(Meditating in the Christian way 😇🕊️)
But God is GOOD & we are awaiting the birth of a baby Granddaughter 💝🌸👶🏻🌸💝 arriving next Wednesday & can’t wait to see my beautiful son & his beautiful wife finally holding their daughter after such loss 2 years ago. (I can’t wait to finally hold her too 🥰)
But we know & are COMFORTED as Christians that we will see the twins again one day in Heaven (& others that have died who trust in Jesus) ...What a WONDERFUL gift 🎁 to hold onto that they are in the arms of JESUS & to ALL who TRUST & BELIEVE Jesus is the WAY, the TRUTH & the LIFE they too will reunite with their LOVED ones too - HALLELUJAH ✝️=❤️
God Bless you Jane & sooo ENJOY your articles especially this one sitting in bed this morning with my morning cuppa 🫖🥰 ☕️ ❌⭕️
Oh, Jenny, thank you for sharing this. What a devastating loss. I’m so glad you will soon meet your beautiful granddaughter. And I’m glad David’s words spoke to you. 🌸
What a beautiful, heart-warming, thought-provoking essay! I am so lucky to have read it. (Or wait . . . am I?)
❤️
If we accept the principle of karma, any joy arises from virtue, so you may like to celebrate the positive karma created in the past!
Jane,
This is so beautiful! thank you for introducing me to this wonderful human being and writer. I cannot wait to discover more of his work. I will be printing out the following quote and taping it on my office wall for whenever I lose sight of what’s important!
“ I am not a major international best-selling novelist. But I have come to see that as the goal of a frail, egotistical creature desperate for a form of validation of questionable worth. My current reality, on the other hand, is one of authenticity and fulfilment. ”
I’m so glad you enjoyed it, Jess! And I love that quote, too! 🌸
Wow, thank you Jessica! Who would have thought that sentence was to become an office-wall aphorism! Seriously, I am so glad the article resonated with you!
“We’ll see”—what a beautiful, patient approach to life. I loved this essay.
I agree! And I’m so glad you enjoyed it!
I so agree, thank you Logan!
Love the read. Very inspiring a good story.
I'm so glad you enjoyed it!
So glad that you enjoyed it, Denise!
As usual, this was a gently loving read. Now, what i really want is to read that poem you wrote as a seven-year-old! Thank you fir so much beauty.
Gently loving read is the perfect way to put it, Angele! And I'd love to see that poem, as well!
David, Thank You…I have never met an obstacle that didn’t offer a silver lining…I fact I’m always the detective sizing up a situation to see what it is really offering me be it a life lesson, or a new client that emerges out of it or just a humbling still needed. I am the Pollyanna of my life, my glass is over flowing with Love and Joy because of obstacles and I am very happy about it.That’s not to say I haven’t risen from great hardship and despair but can always go back to ‘why NOT me ‘ . ( secretly I always feel I’m burning less than lovely karma from other lifetimes in those times…) when I consider there are more galaxies in the universe than grains of sand on earth that always makes me feel my issues are small so what others see as problems ,we might choose to see as stepping stones to more understanding hardly seeming worth any real angst ,no matter their scope or what the collective consciousness is or the times we are living in…We are alive ( no small feat) and a very small part of being human is living in the mundane of daily life, the obstacles like pipes bursting, flat tires that slow us down so that we miss the huge accident ahead on the road ,a cancer scare, etc. etc. can teach us gratitude in many cases when we know it could have been worse…Those sometimes dramatic events are bridges to divine wisdom if we see it that way and are truly blessings…🙏 how can obstacles make anyone upset for more than 5 minutes?
💓🌷-Adrienne
Beautiful. I'm glad you enjoyed David's essay! 🌸
You always write so beautifully in response, Adrienne. My heartfelt thanks!
Another soul-feeling delicacy by David!
I agree! So glad you enjoyed it, Kathy!
Thank you for this delightful compliment, Kathy!
Perhaps you may share the poem with us? My curiosity is awakened.
Mine, too!