wow: what a book!

I came into P’lovers this morning and a new book caught my eye as I walked through the store. I immediately knew I had to find a quiet moment to peruse this new addition to our book shelves.

It is awesome! I feel inspired, energized and emotional after reading only a portion of the essays inside these pages. You will surely find yourself touched deeply by some of these stories and will feel compelled to share other of the collection of essays with people in your life who will benefit by the words. I am left thinking, “How can I give back?”

The book is filled with 86 political, human rights and liberties, homelessness, well-being, justice, environmental and youth related stories. Each written by individuals, some names you will recognize and others you will want to know.

The stories are engaging and empowering, some brought tears to my eyes and others outrage to my heart,  all of them carry a strong message in a powerful way, messages that we all need to hear.

Within these pages you will also find lists of where to go for more information about any of the issues that especially touched your soul along with options of how you can get involved personally.

“You heal yourself by giving what you need most” writes Eve Ensler, one of the contributors to the anthology.

This is a book that is suitable for all ages, genders and mind sets. It will open the mind and the heart while educating the reader. Read it all at once or in little installments, follow the pages from beginning to end or dance around and read what fits on any given day. Surprise yourself and open the book with your eyes closed and read the page in front of you to open your heart.

I must end here as I am anxious to get back to AWEARNESS, Inspiring Stories About How To Make a Difference.

-Jude

From the Publisher

Faced with global issues such as poverty, genocide, and climate change, it’s easy to feel powerless. We want to do good and change the world, but too often feel paralyzed by the fear that individuals can’t make significant impact. Awearness: Inspiring Stories About How to Make a Difference is a wake-up call-a call to action, to volunteerism, and to each and every person’s unique ability to help build a better world.

Edited by longtime advocate and designer Kenneth Cole, Awearness is an engaging, informative, and empowering collection of eighty-six stories and conversations by ninety individuals, some well-known and others less so, who have been inspired to do their part to effect meaningful social change. These notable advocates, activists, and social entrepreneurs share the causes they are passionate about and give advice on what each of us can do to positively impact our communities and those of others two continents away.

From economist Jeffrey Sachs’s belief that ending extreme poverty is within our grasp; to Elton John’s unconventional fund-raising efforts on behalf of AIDS research; to three young filmmakers whose innovative campaign moved 80,000 people to take to the streets on behalf of children affected by war, these personal journeys illustrate the power of the individual to motivate change.

Country Wisdom & Know How

Of the hundreds of titles on the P’lovers Eco-Bookshelf, this is one I definitely needed in my private collection. “Country Wisdom & Know How – Everything You Need to Know to Live off the Land” is a reference book like no other.

While the summers I spent working on a farm throughout high school were great learning experiences, I am still far from completely competent or self-sufficient in this regard. In fact, I (half-jokingly) refer to myself as a handyman second class — no clue as to build something from scratch, but give me a detailed set of instructions, and I can usually follow along.

Thus my attraction to Country Wisdom. Part cookbook, part encyclopedia, part how-to manual, the book gives you the background, resources, and confidence to tackle projects of all kinds.

My tiny little backyard garden will benefit from the instructions I received in the chapter on planting garlic. Pikachu, our new golden doodle puppy, will be the appreciative “guinea pig” when the kids and I try our hand at making doggie treats. I’m a self-confessed candle freak. While I personally think that our Pheylonian beeswax candles are the best in the world, that won’t stop me from trying to make one of my own — with some new found “Country Wisdom”, of course.

-Steve

From the Publisher
Reminiscent in both spirit and design of the beloved Whole Earth Catalog, Country Wisdom & Know-How is an unprecedented collection of information on nearly 200 individual topics of country and self-sustained living. Compiled from the information in Storey Publishing’s landmark series of “Country Wisdom Bulletins,” this book is the most thorough and reliable volume of its kind. Organized by general topic including animals, cooking, crafts, gardening, health and well-being, and home, it is further broken down to cover dozens of specifics from “Building Chicken Coops” to “Making Cheese, Butter, and Yogurt” to “Improving Your Soil” to “Restoring Hardwood Floors.” Nearly 2,000 illustrations, diagrams and photographs run throughout and fascinating projects and trusted advice crowd every page.

A Wisdom Book

One of my favourite books in the world is here on the bookshelf and also in the lending library at P’lovers. Upon my discovery of this book I began to sing it’s praises to one and all. I have purchased it for many of the important people in my life because I feel the need to share it.

The message is one of simplicity and one that bears repeating.

The Four Agreements are as follows:

1. Be impeccable with your word
2. Don’t take anything personally
3. Don’t make assumptions
4. Always do your best.

What more can I say, words would just get in the way.

For Christmas my daughter donated a copy of The Four Agreements to our local library in my name. I was touched, proud and happy to be able to share this meaningful message to others.

It is a book I refer to often when life becomes a little heavy or I feel I need a touchstone. Now I pass this wonderful book and it’s message on to you. Please drop by and peruse a copy, pick one up or borrow the copy in our lending library.

I promise you will not be disappointed.

-Jude

From the Author
Everything we do is based on agreements we have made - agreements with ourselves, with other people, with God, with life. But the most important agreements are the ones we make with ourselves. In these agreements we tell ourselves who we are, how to behave, what is possible, what is impossible. One single agreement is not such a problem, but we have many agreements that come from fear, deplete our energy, and diminish our self-worth.”

In this powerful book that has remained on The New York Times Bestseller List for over eight years, don Miguel reveals the source of self-limiting beliefs that rob us of joy and create needless suffering. When we are ready to change these agreements, there are four deceptively simple, yet powerful agreements that we can adopt as guiding principles. The Four Agreements® offer a powerful code of conduct that can rapidly transform our lives to a new experience of freedom, true happiness, and love.

“Enough is Enough”: The Legacy of Luna

It’s weird…most people have never heard of Julia Butterfly Hill, yet once you know who she is, she’s hard to forget.

Hill spent over two years in one of Earth’s Elders: the Redwoods. The tree in which Hill resided is named Luna, primariliy because of the wonderful view she provides of the moon and sky.

“Enough is Enough” are the words of Hill, written in her compassionate book titled, The Legacy of Luna. The meaning behind the phrase refers to Hill’s attitude toward the human treatment (clear cutting) that our Elders have faced over the years. Consequently, Hill took her own initiative to protect Luna and those around her in the magnificant California Redwood Forest. She decided to occupy the tree without once touching the ground until her quest to protect Luna was complete.

Now, this was no easy ambition as you can imagine: Hill lived through both El Nino and El Nina – at the top of a massively tall Redwood!

In her book, she explains the rush of emotions she felt in the first year, and how she was expecting death each time a storm came (which was quite frequent). Not only was she emotionally distraught for fear of her life, but she was also frantic at the notion of losing Luna. At first, Hill aimed to resist the storms, yet as her relationship with Luna grew, she began to learn from her.

Hill began to observe the ways in which trees could withstand such strong storms, and then realized that they simply “let go”. Instead of holding on for dear life, Hill began to bend and flow; essentially “let go”, just as Luna did. Not only did this method assist Hill in her surivial physically, but also emotionally. Hill began to see her goal as something she had to do, yet need not worry about the weight in which people put on her because in the end, it was between Hill and Luna.

Granted, The Legacy of Luna is a little biased concerning the happenings that occurred during Hill’s stay in Luna, yet her written journey is nonetheless remarkable. Hill resisted countless attempts by Pacific Lumber to bring her down, including intimidation as well as the prevention of supplies; essentially they aimed to starve her out! Luckily, Hill had some enviro-supporters who provided distractions and thus aiding Hill’s survival. Finally, Pacific Lumber announced that they could simply “outlast her”. They thought wrong. Hill discussed her determination to save Luna and believe me, she was determined!

Her determination led to a media frenzy, with celebrites like Woody Harrelson, Joan Baez and Mickey Hart making visits to her. Soon, Pacific Lumber felt pressured to finally communicate (peacefully) with Hill.

The Legacy of Luna is one of those books where you feel like you need to do something after completing this easy-read. Julia Butterfly Hill is a special and passionate human being who preaches that there is no “us” and “them”, and that love (and hate) resides in all living beings. In her battle to protect the Redwoods, she never once lashed out against Pacific Lumber and gave up; she maintained her conviction that all entities have the right to live and be protected.

In the end, one must learn to respect all living things, especially your Elders.

Catherine

P’lovers Lending Library!

I love a good idea — particularly when it involves improving life here at P’lovers AND it doesn’t come from me. So when Jude came to me recently and said that P’lovers needs a lending library, I said “Cool.  Keep talking.”

She said, why not share our love of reading with the customers at P’lovers? We have a huge range of great books in our collection and it is often difficult for our customers to choose – particularly when the are buying books as gifts.  We are all avid readers and have enjoyed many of them.  While we recommend titles as best we can, it would be even better if our customers could “try before they buy.”

I was sold and the P’lovers Lending Library was born.

Here’s how it works (and it is really simple):

• Create a Profile with us by leaving your name, phone number and email
• Ask at the counter to see the available books
• Select your title and staff will register the book to your ‘account’
• Enjoy the book and return it to P’lovers within two weeks.

It was initially difficult to choose the books to lend as there are so many that we absolutely LOVE.  Here is the list we have available so far.

Lending Library Titles:
100 Ways to Keep your Soul Alive (Brussat)
Artist’s Way (Cameron)
Complaint Free World (Bowen)
Crunch Time (Monck / Hanley)
Everyday Activist (Norton)
Fast Food Nation (Schlosser)
Green Living – the E Magazine Handbook
The Ten Trusts (Goodall / Bekoff)
The Four Agreements (Ruiz)
We are the Weather Makers (Flannery)
Writing Down the Bones (Goldberg)

So, to all you reading junkies, please come on in and check out our rapidly growing Eco-Bookshelf.  If something strikes your fancy (and it will), but you are not quite sure, ask if it has been added to our Lending Library.

-Steve