TINY BEAUTIFUL THINGS

A LITTLE UNDER A YEAR AGO I WENT INTO A BOOK STORE AND BOUGHT 10 COPIES OF THE SAME BOOK

I WROTE A NOTE IN THE FRONT OF EACH ONE

A LETTER OF ENCOURAGEMENT TO READ IT, AND PASS IT ON TO SOMEONE THEY CONSIDERED ONE OF THEIR 'PEOPLE'.

AND THEN OVER THE COURSE OF THE NEXT 10 DAYS I LET GO OF THE BOOKS ALL OVER SYDNEY

ONE WAS AT A BUS STOP IN GLEBE

TWO WAS AT A CAFE IN NEWTOWN

THREE WAS LEFT ON A PARK BENCH IN THE CBD

FOUR FOUND A STOOP IN PADDINGTON

FIVE ON A TABLE AT ANOTHER CAFE - THIS TIME IN MARRICKVILLE
SIX SAT UPON A SURRY HILLS BRICK WALL OPPOSITE AN ICECREAM SHOP

SEVEN I  PUT ON A PUBLIC BOOKSHELF THAT I DRIVE PAST EVERY DAY (YOU TAKE A BOOK AND REPLACE IT WITH ANOTHER, I DIDN'T TAKE ONE, I JUST ADDED TO THE PILE). 

EIGHT WAS LEFT ON THE TRAIN BETWEEN TOWNHALL AND CENTRAL

NINE ON A BUS BETWEEN PARK ST AND OXFORD

AND THE VERY LAST I LEFT AT THE TOP OF A SET OF STAIRS THAT LOOK OUT TO THE HARBOUR

THIS BOOK IS A BALM, AN OINTMENT FOR ANYTHING THAT LIFE CAN THROW YOUR WAY.

PART ADVICE, PART PERSONAL ESSAY THE PIECES OF THESE PAGES GRAPPLE WITH SOME OF LIFE'S BIGGEST QUESTIONS, AND HAVE A GENUINE EMPATHY FOR THE UNFAMILIAR FEELINGS THAT WE ALL EXPERIENCE.

I DREAD THE THOUGHT THAT YOU (YES YOU) ARE SITTING THERE THINKING "OH HERE SHE GOES TRYING TO SOUND ALL PROFOUND, AND GIVE US ANOTHER ANALOGY, OR METAPHOR".

SO NO FLUFFINESS, I'M NOT TRYING TO MAKE IT SOUND FANCY, INSTEAD THIS IS THE HONEST TRUTH.

THE FIRST TIME I READ THIS BOOK, I WAS DRIVING WITH ONE OF MY CLOSEST FRIENDS- ONE OF MY 'PEOPLE', AND WE TOOK TURNS AT READING IT OUT LOUD TO EACH OTHER, LETTER BY LETTER.

I REMEMBER THE EXACT LINE MY BREATH GOT CAUGHT IN MY THROAT, AND I COULDN'T KEEP READING. AND WE SAT IN SILENCE FOR A WHILE. A REALLY COMFORTABLE SILENCE. IT WAS A MOMENT IN TIME, WHERE SOMEONE I HAD NEVER MET HAD TAKEN THE WORDS OUT FROM UNDER ME. HAD CAPTURED EXACTLY HOW I FELT IN MY LIFE AT THAT VERY MOMENT. 

I POSTED A PICTURE A FEW POSTS BACK OF A RECORD/BOOB/FRISBIE WITH A NOTE THAT LIFE IS ALL ABOUT PERSPECTIVE.

IT IS, AND EACH TIME I OPEN THE PAGES OF THIS BOOK I AM REMINDED OF IT.

YOU CAN KNOW PEOPLE FOR YEARS BEFORE YOU CONSIDER THEM "YOUR PEOPLE" 

YOU CAN KNOW SOME PEOPLE FOR A MINUTE AND FEEL JUST THE SAME.

IT ALL DEPENDS ON YOUR PERSPECTIVE.

WHEN YOU MEET ONE OF THESE PEOPLE

PROMISE YOURSELF YOU WILL TELL THEM HOW GLAD YOU ARE YOU MET THEM

AND PROMISE ME YOU WILL SUGGEST THEY READ THIS BOOK

xx