The sun sets on another day
Today was the first day of the Lakeshore Art Festival in Muskegon Michigan. I get a kick out of interacting with my readers when they show up at my booth and today I was almost overwhelmed with fantastic moments. From the young woman who just got her license after buying my books last year to the man who bought three of my books right before covid and had been waiting to find me to get anything new that I had. It was wonderful talking with him and his sister-in-law and catching up with the world . That was only the tip of the iceberg.
For the past several years people have been more reserved and often because of this books did not always sell very well. For some reason this weekend many readers came from long distances.
There were two women from South Bend, Indiana who drove up to Muskegon and bought a full set of my books. There were a series of other people that were just looking for something to read and realized they wanted a little more. I sold the last of my yet another slice of passion books and in the process I was amazed at how many people still write poetry. I got into a discussion with a woman about poetry and about how passion has to find the right words with even fewer in this type of writing. It was a good discussion. I talked to two women about 29,000 sunsets and about how life is truly spectacular if you pay attention to what life is. I found myself talking to people just for the sake of talking, and enjoying their opinions and seeing them light up when they realized I didn’t want anything from them except for them to have a good day. Whether they bought my books or not it was better to see them smile and laugh a little as the day rolled on.
Somewhere in the midst of it all I found my rhythm again and in that rhythm people bought books when they wanted them and didn’t when they did not. I did well, very well but I had more satisfaction from my interactions than from the sale of my books.
Over time many of these people have become far more than readers. They have become trusted advisors, friends, confidants, and contributors to the world in my mind as I realize their unique personalities are both worthwhile and spectacular. I can only hope that I meet more people tomorrow that continue to make my day complete.
So as the sun sets on another day, find people to enjoy, and laugh the day away. See past the negative, and find the positives in your life then make the world yours each and every day, no matter what.
Sleep sweet, love life, and carry on…