The Things That Keep You Moving Forward (10/27/14)
I followed the advice of a friend of mine as I prepared for this road trip. “Measure twice, and before you cut measure again.”
I guess you could say that I’m a little O.C.D.. I wouldn’t say it’s the result of an underlying phobia, but rather my hatred for inefficiency. I despise having to redo work!
So being slightly O.C.D. I had the first two months of my road trip setup before I even had it financed; there was no backing out of the book tour.That preparation became a godsend when it came time to set out for Portland, Maine because I had no desire to go.
Fast-forward two months and you would find me doing my first and possibly my only book signing 2,069 miles from home in Winnipeg, Manitoba Canada. It really seems implausible to me, but I honestly think that 99% of all bookstores are hell-bent on initiating their own self destruction.
McNally Robinson’s is a part of the diminishing 1% of bookstores that gets it. If you want to survive in this dog eat dog bottom-line mentality society you have to be different. McNally’s does just that. Besides doing everything humanly possible to add value for their customers, the good folks at McNally’s do the same thing for aspiring authors. The bookstore shelves aren’t cluttered with this month’s new release from the likes of James Patterson. They quite literally only stock no name authors like me.
That experience at McNally’s was a much needed shot of adrenaline at the midway point of my book tour’s northern swing. However, meeting Clare was the most important thing that happened that day in the bookstore.
Clare had a health condition that confined her to a wheelchair. She wasn’t even able to read my book, but she stopped by and told her father she wanted a copy of Average Joe’s Story. We talked for a while before Clare and her father left to enjoy the remainder of their Sunday.
It’s interactions like that one with Clare which makes crawling through all the rivers of crap worthwhile. That connection you make with a person, where for one fleeting moment, you brighten their day is addictive. That interaction is no different than any other drug that leaves you scavenging for your next hit.
Clare, Thank you for inspiring me to push forward.
