{Beautiful beyond words ~ some of the Desire to Inspire contributors. Photo by Justin Davis Davanzo}

{See my previous two entries for Parts One and Two}

The fallout that occurred in the midst of the release of Ordinary Sparkling Moments was so intense that I had no choice but to try a different tactic, and so a new journey began. Before too long, one opportunity after another came my way, each one taken with careful, mindful attention. And every time I got through a situation with greater peace than the one before, a deep, simmering joy began bubbling within me. The more I practiced quiet, stillness and trust, and the more I honored my own boundaries and limitations, the better I felt, regardless of the details of the situation. The final outcomes might not always be what I want, and through a certain lens might not even make much sense, but if I have been honest, then I have done my work.

Which brings me to right now ~ to the work of bringing Desire to Inspire to life and the beautiful celebration of its release. A number of people have been asking me what I thought of the event, and was it what I wanted, and was it all I expected. Most people receive and are content with a brief, happy answer, but for a few of my closest comrades, I have explained it this way ~ that this book launch was a validation of all the work I have been doing for the past three years. I had nineteen contributors and an online book tour with more than twenty fellow bloggers. The book launch had well over fifty guests and eight people boarded airplanes in order to be there, coming from as far away as India (India!) I have been receiving cards and emails and notes and phone calls and well wishes all month long, and the night of the book launch was a night of boundless, beautiful joy. And it all came about for one reason:  Because I did this work ~ both personally and professionally ~ and those who saw and trusted and believed in and weren’t threatened by this work showed up. Everyone who showed up was there because they wanted to be there, and I could savor their presence with the total abandon because there were never any expectations weighing those moments down. And for those who have not reached out, have not congratulated, and are not with me on this journey, it is OK. It is sincerely, truly, wondrously OK. Even in those pockets of quiet there is joy, and that joy is always available to me.

I said in the first part of this story that I wanted to be careful about this, and that concern had to do with presenting these two books as a better/worse scenario. There is no scale of goodness here and I haven’t been keeping score. These two experiences are different ~ as they should be ~ and that is all. If I were going through the same tight spots with Desire to Inspire as I was with Ordinary Sparkling Moments, then shame on me for not taking the opportunities I had a few years ago to change the patterns in my behavior that weren’t serving me. Not that I’ve got it all “figured out” ~ not by a long shot ~ but I’m at least a little bit closer, and grateful for every bit of it.

“Gratitude unlocks the fullness of life. It turns what we have into enough, and more.” ~Melody Beattie