Revolution

I have been waiting for weeks for tomorrow, September 20th, 2008. The day when I will get to do the big reveal. The day when I will take my laptop, run to the top of the mountain, and shout, type and squirm with excitement as I finally tell all my friends and family about THE book. But I don't know if I can.

I can't run. I can't scream. I can't squirm. I can't focus. I can't sleep. I can't type. I have type fright. I have taken on the responsibility of spreading the word about a book which WILL change your life, if you are looking for change. I strongly believe that this book will be at the core of a revolution which will change the world. We just have to spread the word. That is what I am supposed to be doing here, tomorrow, and I don't know where to begin. My heart is racing.



And then I thought about THE book and an 'action' which the author had given. THE book is full of actions and movements - I promise to tell you more tomorrow. Please bear with me. The 'action' on page 174 tells me to think of a yearning I have (right now my yearning is to write this post in a coherent, passionate manner) and then write a short story about that yearning using the story prompts which Patti, the author, lists. So that is what I am going to do although I am going to change the prompts to fit this post. I know Patti won't mind. By taking the suggested actions to heart and making modifications so that they fit our current life situation we will be able to make change within. We will progress forward - which is where I pray this post moves- forward.




Before we go forward we must speed backwards to this past February when my husband and I went to India so we could attend our oldest daughter's wedding. This was a humongous adventure for the two of us. We had never traveled much except for an occasional trip to Canada and a cruise or two. So there was much to do as we packed, applied for Visas, weighed luggage repeatedly, unpacked, repacked, made arrangements for our dog, met with the travel doctor, and cleaned the house from top to bottom although I am not sure why I felt that was necessary since housecleaning has never been a priority for me. We called friends to let them know our travel plans and paid bills before leaving so there would be electricity when we returned. After hours of fiddling with my computer I figured out how to set my email account to leave an automatic 'Deb has left the country' type of message. In the middle of the disorganized chaos we tried to go out to dinner with as many friends and family as possible before leaving. We tried to connect with my husband's sister, Margo, and her husband, Rick before we left since we were long overdue for a night out together. We checked calendars, we emailed but there was no way we could get together even for a drink. Life was too hectic with the packing, the paying of bills, the last minute trip to the dentist. Good heavens, I couldn't travel to India with 'dirty' teeth, now could I?





Speed forward. I am sitting in the hotel lobby which is located right outside of JFK Airport. We have returned from India. I excitedly log in to check my emails. I have missed my family and friends SO much. I can't wait to reconnect, to catch up on their lives. I open up the email from Margo. My knees go weak. My heart races. I look across the lobby for my husband. I can't see him through my tears. Rick was diagnosed while we were in India with pancreatic cancer. 58 years old. A smile that warmed up every room. Twinkly eyes. Incredible heart. Married to the love of his life, his soulmate. Dad to three, grandfather to one. A born listener. Best friend to hundreds. He was diagnosed on Feb. 14th - Valentine's Day. We attended his funeral on March 14th. We will never have that night out together.





Speed forward. I am in Florida visiting mom and dad. My husband and I are still trying to understand Rick's death. We are trying to make sense of this loss. We are sad. I am angry. Why in the world did I put getting my teeth cleaned and my coffee table dusted over visiting with Margo and Rick? No one in India commented on my clean teeth and the dust moved in again while I was gone. I wander aimlessly around on my laptop checking out blogs. There was no rhyme or reason to my wanderings or was there? I will leave that for you to decide.





One of the blog titles caught my eye and my curiosity ~ 37 days. The blog author, Patti Digh, asks this question of her readers, " What would you do if you only had 37 days left to live? " I was hooked. I stayed at Patti's for a long visit. I sat out on my parent's porch basking in the warmth of the Florida sun while reading deep into the archives of Patti's posts and slowly I felt Patti's words start to work their magic on the hurt and sadness I had been feeling since Rick's death. Patti nourished my soul. Thank you, Patti.





Speed forward - Excellent news for all ~ Patti Digh has written a book. She has written THE book. And Patti invited me to be part of the blogging book tour. By taking the action suggested by Patti in her book on page 174, I am now ready. I am honored. I am thrilled. Tomorrow I will share with you the book review I have written for Patti's newest book ~ 'Life is a Verb - 37 Days to Wake Up. Be Mindful. And Live Intentionally.' There's going to be a revolution ...we all wanna change the world... and Patti Digh has the solution! Read all about it ~ tomorrow! You won't want to miss it.