Don’t Judge a Book by the Cover

It was a wild way that the book Illusions, by Richard Bach came into my life. I think that when you have something really amazing in your grips, the Universe makes sure it’s memorable for you. I’ve told this story more times than I can remember, so I suppose I should finally write it down!

I don’t think I’ve ever really had a favorite book. For a while my favorite book was Pretty Good for a Girl – an autobiography written by an amazing female snowboarder, Tina Basich.
But naturally our interests change, and so does the literature we’re drawn to.

When I started up Natural Peace, one thing I wanted to be able to give to people was awesome resources. I went to book sales and filled the shelves in my studio with tons of great books about health, self improvement, spirituality and everything in between. Books were a big deal. I always offered them to my clients as part of their Coaching package. Take them or leave them, bring them back or keep them forever. A lot of my knowledge has come from a consistent desire to learn more, that I gained from reading great books.

And they always seem to come at the perfect time.

One day a friend came to me. She visited me in my studio and said, “I have something for you. This is the greatest book you’ll ever read, I think you’re going to love it.” She handed me the book, Illusions – The Adventures of a Reluctant Messiah by Richard Bach.

I admit, I appreciated her gesture, but in my mind I was thinking ‘great, ANOTHER book I have to get to!’

When I got home, I put the book on my dining room table and it sat there for most of the day. I went out later that evening and when I came home, I was upset to find that our dog, Ludo had gotten hold of the book and chewed up a big corner section of it. It made it almost impossible to turn the pages because of his teeth marks,  however you could still read most of the pages.
I did some finger wagging at Ludo – who couldn’t have cared less – and put the book on my nightstand.

The next day I went
out to meet a friend for coffee.
You see where this is going?

Sure enough, I got home around 5pm and there was Ludo, in the middle of the living room floor with Illusions even more chewed up and cradled between his giant paws.

After I convinced him that he didn’t need all of the fiber you’d get out of eating 120 pages of text, I hid the book INSIDE my nightstand.

That night I had the house to myself. I poured a glass of wine and put on a movie – well… a documentary. I put on The Secret Behind the Secret, which is a documentary about Esther and Jerry Hicks and the teachings of Abraham. I watched the movie, not for the first time, but feeling very happy and inspired. At the end of the film is a Q&A session. During the session each segment is introduced with a word on the screen stating the theme of what will be discussed. This portion was new to me because I normally fall asleep before the movie ends. As I lay in bed, the word “Illusions” flashed on the screen and Jerry Hicks begins talking about a book. He starts telling about his experience with the book and my jaw drops.

Illusions.
Illusions?
Oh my God! Illusions!!!!

I whip open the nightstand drawer and there’s my book, half chewed up, barely able to read… staring back at me.

Ludo was trying to tell me something…

I read the book in 2 hours, fascinated. It’s fiction and not what I would normally be drawn to. Again, don’t judge a book by the cover. The first 15 pages or so are handwritten on loose leaf paper. But the book is incredible.

I’m not going to get into detail about the story line, because that is for you to discover when you go read it.

I can tell you though, the book Illusions is my favorite book and has been since the day it discovered me. When my friend Cie gave me the book I didn’t know when I would get to it, if I would read it, if it would sit on the shelf in my studio or go to a client. Illusions is my go-to read now. I have read and re-read it dozens of times and every time I get something new out of it. Honestly, the night that I finally picked it up to read it, I felt something… like the book was emanating out to me that life won’t be the same after this.

And it hasn’t been.

The book is full of little quotes and insights and each and every one of them has held true in my life.

It has given me comfort. It has flown out to LA and back with me and kept me company on an airplane my first time across the country. I guarantee if you open to a random page, you’ll get exactly what you need to receive.
Ahh, a magical book!
Yup. This my friends is a magical book.
To me at least.

I gave it to my husband one night to read it and he got about ⅓ of the way through and just looked at me blankly. Maybe it’s not for everyone. But since he’s not reading it,  I’m thinking I’ll crack it open again tonight before bed.

The point of all my rambling is this: When the student is ready, the teacher appears. Illusions is one of my greatest teachers, then and now. Now go pick it up and read it!