John – Page 5 – Lemuria Books

Author: John (Page 5 of 19)

Tomorrow I’ll be participating in a discussion with three other booksellers from Mississippi on the future of bookselling at the University of Mississippi. My thoughts on this subject have been constant over the last few years which became more emphasized by the recession. I’m constantly reading and analyzing how to stay open and grow. I’m challenging my old ways, hoping to find new ways to enhance my work and improve Lemuria. As I prepare my thoughts for this session, I’ve decided to reflect on One Click: Jeff Bezos and the Rise of amazon.com.

One Click begins on page one with comments about Richard Howorth, my long time favorite bookseller of Square Books. Richard’s fanatic focus on customer service and his drive to go the extra mile is the emphasis. On September 22, 1994, Richard instructed Bezos about bookselling at the American Bookseller Association’s bookselling school for wanna-be book people. Richard came away with the feeling that Jeff would be successful.

Years later, a realization came to Richard when he recognized Jeff at an annual trade show, not understanding until then that he had helped train the Godfather of Amazon.

One Click is a concise presentation of the evolution of Amazon. Being very clear about Jeff’s background, a true original, you can begin to understand how the pieces of the puzzle fit together for this driven, brilliant, creative, and narcissistic individual. One Click is essential for any bookseller who wants to understand his or her most competitive foe.

One Click gives the reader a timeline of how Amazon rose from the ground up. By the way, I do respect the hard work Jeff put for over 20 years. However, what I found most interesting was tracking his business timeline during the same years as Lemuria.

	AMAZON	LEMURIA
1987	Bezos leaves Princeton to work in Manhattan with the company, Fitel, to build a mini Internet.	After being in business for 12 years, Lemuria moves to Banner Hall to prepare our “fort” to fight the onslaught of Big Box Superstores headed our way.
1994	Bezos attends Richard’s class	Lemuria prepares for its second Christmas battle with Books-a-Million 1 minute away.
1995	Amazon is launched.	Lemuria goes on the computer inventory system IBID.
Sept 1997	Amazon launches one-click shopping	Around 1998, B & N opens in Jackson, 5 minutes away.
April2003	Amazon starts developing the Kindle.	Around 2003, Borders opens in Jackson, 10-15 minutes away.
Fall 2007	Amazon announces the Kindle.	Lemuria finally in growth cycle from severe box store competition.
2008	E-books begin to grow	2008 is a very difficult year; Business slump mostly from recession.
2012	Bezos is one of the richest executives in the world with a net worth of over $12.6 billion. Today Amazon adds as much computing power everyday as it had to run its entire business in 2000.	Lemuria is trying to redefine its culture to our community. Also, trying to reinforce our value to our customers and stay in business.

Between Amazon’s initial stock offering in 1996 and the end of 2010, Barnes and Noble stock had dropped 29% while Borders stock had fallen 96%. Amazon’s stock had risen 10,320%, all based on end of year 2010. Barnes and Noble was worth $852 million, Borders $65 million and Amazon $81 billion.

Today, physical book readers and bookstores are seriously challenged by the e-book growth. Some people still love their prime time reading experience of real books and enjoy leisurely making their choices at their favorite bookstores.

But not Bezos. He seems ready to kill the industry that made him rich. From Jeff:

“‘I’m grumpy when I’m forced to read a physical book because it’s not convenient,’ he complains. ‘Turning the pages . . . the book is always flopping itself shut at the wrong moment . . . The Kindle is simply a better form of book.. . . We have to build something better than a physical book.'” (135)

For our future, booksellers need to remember Richard Howorth’s advice about dedication to customer service. I feel that Bezos considers the strength of e-book customer service to be the immediate gratification of instant reward through an e-book purchase anywhere in the world.

Real booksellers offer experience and the desire to help readers find their right read. They want to enhance the selection process with a friendly place housing a well edited inventory. Most importantly, they want to make book selections a human experience that is satisfying. That’s my idea of customer service which thus gives me the fulfillment of my bookseller goals.

Above: Newbery winner Christopher Paul Curtis talking about his new book Mighty Miss Malone.

At this time, predicting the future of bookselling is difficult. No one in the industry seems to have a clear answer.

At the present, I see it as a battle between the publishers and Amazon as to who will be in charge in three to five years. I think Amazon will dominate Barnes and Noble and I hope they don’t beat Lemuria. The key, the way I see it, is how much the publishers will strive to practice good customer service to us, their bookselling customers. I believe Amazon wants to control the publishers and the author guidelines. Bezos wants to rule all bookselling. I don’t think he cares a hoot in hell about the future of the real book or the bookselling experience or brick and mortar bookstores. Who will win remains to be seen.

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One Click: Jeff Bezos and the Rise of amazon.com

by Richard L. Brandt (Portfolio/Penguin, October 2011)

Another essential read for understanding the future of bookselling:

The New Rules of Retail by Robin Lewis and Michael Dart.

Read about it here.

* * *

Lemuria’s Bookstore Keys Series on the Changing Book Industry

Where will e-book sales level out? (June 2) Indie Bookstores Buying from Amazon? (June 1) BEA Roundup (May 19) Lemuria’s Headed for NYC (May17) Barnes & Noble Bankrupt? (April 28) Decluttering the Book Market: Ads on the latest Kindle (April 14) Independents on the Exposed End of the Titantic? (April 6th) Border’s Bonuses (March 30) The Experience of Holding a Book (March15) Finding “Deep Time” in a Bookstore (March 8th) Reading The New Rules of Retail by Lewis & Dart (March 3) The Future Price of the Physical Book (Feb 18) Borders Declares Bankruptcy (Feb 16) How Great Things Happen at Lemuria (Feb 8th) The Jackson Area Book Market (Jan 25) What’s in Store for Local Bookselling Markets? (Jan 18) Selling Books Is a People Business (Jan 14) A Shift in Southern Bookselling? (Jan 13) The Changing Book Industry (Jan 11)

The Power of Habit by Charles Duhigg

By John

On March 9, 2012

In Psychology

The Power of Habit: Why We Do What We Do and How to Change It

by Charles Duhigg

Random House (March 6, 2012)

As you get over 60 you begin to see your earned self in the mirror. Gradually, you begin feeling the results of your behavior. You may have consciously chosen earlier to build habits that have now become automation in your lifestyle.

Your habits may have changed you into something that now might not feel right or intended. You begin to understand how, as an old guy, you’ve gotten to where you are. The option of rebuilding reconstructive patterns is a choice you can make.

It’s obviously difficult to find and practice new helpful routines whenever you recognize the habits that got you worn out. I’ve found that breaking down old unconscious habits to be difficult, but it seems even harder to stick with new ones even though they add to life’s pleasures.

The Power of Habit has come along to help those like me to chisel away at a father time’s work. It’s about creating new patterns (constructive and conscious) so that they become automatic as any other routine.

Habit change is grounded in two basic rules. First, find the oblivious cue and second, clearly define the reward. Studies have found that people who have successfully started new exercise routines stick with their workouts better if they find a specific cue. My cue for exercise right now is 7:15 a.m. Research on dieting that predetermines cues (i.e., planning meals in advance) helps define rewards and more consciousness of behavior results.

The Power of Habit is divided into three sections.

Part One: The Habits of Individuals

Individuals are explained by using loops: cue, routine, reward.

These loops can become instilled in our behavior, then become unconscious and lead to cravings and addictions. Habits can be changed by changing the loop, keeping the cue and the reward the same but changing the routine.

Through consciously changing the routine, you can build new and more constructive habits yielding a similarly rewarding experience.

Part Two: The Habits of Successful Organizations

I found this section to be the most interesting. I think anyone interested in doing better work should read this section. Work is so constant that bad habits can seem almost acceptable to the individual. Unconsciously, bad habits unfairly affect coworkers which bring down the whole group work ego, individually and collectively.

Example: The powerful effects of cell phone in our social media age feed the desire to be distracted from your work efforts. Constant interruptions leading to non-productivity in your work day. An unconscious phone habit (or addiction) is a poor routine for maximizing rewards from effort.

Our work habits are so important because the product is also reflected in our ability to have a positive lifestyle outside of work.

Part Three: The Habits of Society

Duhigg uses Rosa Parks and the Montgomery bus project to explain his point on group habits. For us Southerners, this example is insightful and easy to relate to. This fine book concludes by addressing our free will and the responsibility we have for ourselves. We choose for ourselves the amount of awareness we have about our habitual behaviors.

I think anyone interested in self improvement would benefit from reading The Power of Habit. I feel we all could use more habit awareness, increasing the ability to have more good habits and a happier, more actualized life.

The Power of Habit by Charles Duhigg (Random House, March 2012)

Bringing Home the Dharma

By John

On February 22, 2012

In Zen

Bringing Home the Dharma: Awakening Right Where You Are

by Jack Kornfield

(Shambhala, 2011)

Dharma is the nature of things, including the nature of our mental lives and the world we live in. Dharma is the “great norm” underlying our world. The teachings of the Buddha are recognized as Dharma. Dharma is the manifestation of reality through the norms of behavior and ethical rules. Dharma includes mental content, objects of thoughts and reflections of a thing in the human mind.

For me I sum up Dharma as simply trying to live with truth in reality, and this concept drew me to Jack’s new book.

I enjoy reading mind books. It seems I always have at least two different approaches going. I guess being a child of the 50s, born in 1950, and coming of age during the counterculture movement, I’m hounded by the neurosis of my era.

Born in 1945, Jack Kornfield has been on the forefront of the study of self-reflection for us baby boomers. His books have been instrumental in expanding the modern cultural blending of Buddhism and Western Psychology.

After graduating from Dartmouth College in 1967, he trained as a Buddhist monk in Thailand, Burma and India. In 1975, he co-founded the insight meditation society in Barre, Massachusetts. He holds a Ph.D in Clinical Psychology. He is one of America’s most respected Buddhist teachers with over 40 years of committed study and practice.

Jack insight is shared with his new book Bringing Home the Dharma: Awakening Right Where You Are. The first section is a reflection for learning who you are. The following sections deal with accepting your place in time now, developing insight about how you got here, and understanding your present through mindful reflection. These lead to developing a spiritual path that fits your perspective amid the ups and downs of daily life.

Jack reviews lessons from three modern masters who influenced him. He addresses some of the problems early Buddhist leaders confronted when opening the doors for the West. This section was very interesting as it dealt with issues like:

1. The sex lives of our modern gurus

2. Drugs and spiritual practice

3. Shadow work or healing personal pains

4. The different interpretations of enlightenment

Jack’s final section offers suggestions about useful daily practices.

Jack also selected and edited The Buddha Is Still Teaching: Contemporary Buddhist Wisdom. Last year I read this and have enjoyed sharing this easy-to-read little book with others. Jack picked out short sections of the lion’s roar from the most highly regarded contemporary Buddhist teachers. These selections revolve around a common theme, for example, compassion and courage. The index of teachers is a Who’s Who and the bibliograpy is an excellent reading list.

Over the years I’ve enjoyed Jack’s writing. Four favorites are:

1. Seeking the Heart of Wisdom: The Path of Insight Meditation with Joseph Goldstein (Shambhala, 1987)

2. A Path with Heart: A Guide through the Perils and Promises of Spiritual Life (Bantam, 1993)

3. After the Ecstasy the Laundry: How the Heart Grows Wise on the Spiritual Path (Bantam, 2000)

4. The Wise Heart: A Guide to the Universal Teachings of Buddhist Psychology (Bantam, 2008)

Start Something That Matters by Blake Mycoskie, Chief Shoe Giver, TOMS

By John

On February 10, 2012

In Business/Economy

Start Something That Matters by Blake Mycoskie, Chief Shoe Giver, TOMS

“With every book you purchase, a new book will be provided to a child in need. One for One”

(Spiegel & Grau, 2011)

Earlier this past fall, I read a Wall Street Journal review of Start Something That Matters. The reviewer peaked my interest about the “TOMS” marketing concepts. I got a copy and started being a believer. So much so that Start Something became my main Christmas present for 2011.

Start Something is the story of a young man’s journey in building a business from scratch. Blake started in 2006 with a most unusual and creative business plan. Tom’s foundation (Tomorrow’s Shoes) runs on this idea: When a customer buys a pair of shoes, a needy child receives a free pair. How could this concept not work? Blake writes about how his unique idea became a reality and now, six years later, is a household name. His inspiration has been a major influence on new business start ups all over.

For example, my son Austin and his college pal, Richard, believe in supporting live music. Two years ago they created the first legal distillery in Mississippi and founded Cat Head Vodka. Their core philosophy involves giving a dollar to musician relief funds, arts councils, etc., for every bottle of Cat Head Vodka sold. Like Mycoskie, Austin and Richard wanted a business plan that gave back with meaning from the very start of their business.

These ideas about marketing are creative and can be easily adopted to suit each individual context. Another example is a new initiative by the book industry. Printers, publishers, book distributors, authors and bookstores are all behind World Book Night. On April 23rd one million books will be given away in the United States. Basically, I see this as a way for the book industry to go local and support a grass roots effort to get more people reading through the simplicity of people sharing physical books in physical places in their own communities. (The deadline has passed to sign-up but you can still contact Lisa if you are interested: lisa (at) lemuriabooks (dot) com.)

Reading Start Something That Matters will inspire you to analyze your own work life and find ways to challenge yourself. Sure, it takes effort, desire and decent ethics to pull this off. In return for your efforts, you receive much more than a pay check. You’ll know that your work makes a difference in the lives of others.

As you know, I believe in small business. But more so, I believe in young people doing work that makes them fulfilled and being unique. Blake Mycoskie appears to be a real champion in this regard. He is an inspiration and marketing leader for those trying to figure it out. Being an old guy who was 24 when I started Lemuria, I’ve found Blake’s story a reinforcement to keep going.

The book is designed to be stimulating and reader friendly. This is not surprising since TOMS is user and customer friendly as a company. TOMS also has a business plan to encourage more reading. Fifty percent of Blake’s proceeds from this book will be used to provide access to new books for children in need. Learn more here: www.firstbook.org.

At home and abroad, there’s certainly a lot going on in our communities for the good. Check out Blake’s story, suport live music and local business with Cathead Vodka. Especially help Lemuria make a difference with World Book Night for Jackson. We hope Lemuria endures and grows with the help of your concern and support. Bound to Read.

The True Dharma Eye: Zen Master Dōgen’s Three Hundred Kōans

By John

On February 2, 2012

In Zen

The True Dharma Eye: Zen Master Dōgen’s Three Hundred Kōans

Translated by Kazuaki Tanahashi and John Daido Loori with commentary and verse by John Daido Loori

Shambhala (2005)

This time of year is special for me, mostly because the extremes placed on the retailer lifestyle during the Christmas season slowly begin to evaporate. For retailers, January & February is the time to settle up, analyzing the previous work and discard baggage. Also, it’s time to formulate the processes to put into place before the next retail season. It may sound crazy, but for the retailer, when a Christmas is over, the work on the next Christmas starts as promptly as it can be perceived.

This time of year, I always look forward to finding new books to read on daily. Ones to live with, not read too much of the time. Reading just enough to relax with, to ponder on and develop a reading friendship.

Near the end of 2011, I finished The True Dharma Eye: Zen Master Dōgen’s Three Hundred Kōans with commentary by John Daido Loori. In past readings, I have touched on reading kōans, but until I lived with them daily, did I begin to absorb ever so slightly their value.

Kōan literally means “public notice.” In Zen, a kōan is a phrase from a teaching on Zen realization points to the nature of reality. Paradox is essential to a kōan. Kōans transcend the logical or conceptual, thus they cannot be solved by reason, requiring another level of comprehension. Here’s a kōan from The True Dharma Eye:

Kōans are a highly distinctive element of Zen Buddhism, and there is no obvious parallel to them in literature or other religions. They contain a message, but not a message expressed by way of direct instruction. Each of us must arrive at our own direct experience and understanding. Understanding the kōan is difficult or impossible to be transmitted to us by words or by others. Studying kōans is to actualize a medium from which understanding may be reached, however, this is not an intellectual puzzle. A kōan has no single answer. Here is another example of a kōan from The True Dharma Eye:

Over the past year and a half of reading The True Dharma Eye, I became fond of massaging kōans. We are constantly developing our understanding of we are and how we transmit our actions to others. Kōan study helps with the actuality of our lives. Ultimately, kōan study affects our consciousness, which is how it affects our lives and that’s how it makes a difference.

Not that I can put my finger specifically on my kōan study effects personally, but I have experienced new ways to explore the creative process. The effects, I think, have helped me with maturing my work life, my health and my mind. My relationships with people in a more present and realistic way. I hope to be the product of my kōan readings.

With all that being said, the new year brings me to two new daily books to live with in 2012.

Your True Home: The Everyday Wisdom of Thich Nhat Hanh (Shambhala, 2011)

Two Zen Classics: The Gateless Gate and The Blue Cliff Records (Shambhala, 2005)

I know since I am starting another book of kōans that I must be hooked. However, if you haven’t tried picking up a book and living with it for a year, now is a good time to consider the journey. This process can lead to a sustain reading experience.

Locavesting: The Revolution in Local Investing and How to Profit from It

By John

On January 15, 2012

In Business/Economy

Locavesting: The Revolution in Local Investing and How to Profit from It

by Amy Cortese

(John Wiley, 2011)

Having just completed in October my 36th year as a small business owner, I was interested in reading Cortese’s book as soon as I learned of it. Having always been interested in the promotion of importance and betterment of local business for my community, Locavesting caught my eye.

Locavesting is fundamentally about fixing our broken economic system. It’s about restoring a more just and participatory form of capitalism, one that allocates capital for productive use in the community. It’s about forming alternative ideas and practices rather than a win or take all economy. It’s about rebuilding our savings, our communities and strengthening the core of our culture, and hopefully about influencing the culture of our country, which I feel is being challenged by too much government influence. As announced this week, the U.S. debt is now equal to our economy which means our entire debt is as big as everything we produce in our country.

Locavesting emphasizes investing in what you know, local companies that you can see, touch and understand their community value and contribution. It’s about spending your dollars for services where service is strengthened and the dollar investment is recirculated in the local market, planting the seed for further growth equals a more self-reliant community.

As it seems to me, our government is intent on growing our dependency on manipulated entitlements. Locavesting is offering new considerations and explanations on how the work we do is one with ownership. A work lifestyle like this might help us make more of a difference. Perhaps the contributions we make for our community can somehow combat the reckless spending of “Too Big to Fail” business and government. Local business can at least take the bull by the horns in our communities and contribute to the local well-being day by day. We all know about the battle “Main Street” is fighting. It’s up to each of us to be a part of the solution. We don’t need to accept the malaise, and we must remember that our small steps can lead to a broader awareness.

Cortese presents arguments and statistics reinforcing the financial benefits of dollars being recirculated in the local markets. She explores which small businesses make a difference to our community culture. However, Locavesting is not anti-big business. The emphasis is on considering the implications of how our choices benefit local enterprises.

Reading Locavesting has enhanced my feelings as we move into 2012 on the importance of broadening this type of awareness. Not only do I want to be more aware of community from a personal standpoint, but also as a part of the Lemuria team as we broaden our outreach interests. We need to be more aware and more effective with our local community efforts and work with greater determination to achieve our outreach goals.

I was disappointed when I finished that Cortese does not have a two or three page suggested reading list. I feel that by not suggesting more reading on this subject, she missed the boat on further stimulating her message to her readers.

Consciously, Lemuria plans to utilize the core of our work to expand our mission into a larger community footprint. We welcome your input and participation.

JX//RX

Lemuria welcomes back Barry Moser

By John

On December 10, 2011

In Staff Blog

About 30 years ago, on my daughter’s 4th birthday my friendship with Barry Moser began in Dallas, Texas. Being a new dad and not wanting to be away from Saramel, I took her to the bookseller market. A cocktail party for Barry was in our hotel, so off we went. The tuxedo clad Moser and Saramel in her yellow dress hit it off, Barry signed Alice prints for Saramel that night and they have hung in her room ever since.

Barry and I maintained our friendship and in a few years he came South for his Wizard of Oz. Barry was all into One Writer’s Beginnings, so we went to visit Eudora for an afternoon beverage of old weller. The result was the illustrated edition of The Robber Bridegroom, which Lemuria opened nationally.

A few years later, after reading Willie Morris’s Baseball Prayer, Barry collaborated with Willie on a book. The result was the special A Prayer for the Opening of the Little League Season. My 11-year-old team was the subject of the illustrations as Barry hung out at the ball fields, taking photos to influence his paintings. Barry gave the original art to Lemuria and it still hangs in OZ-our children’s room.

Through the years Barry has given Lemuria much art that hangs in our store including a self-portrait in a Lemuria t-shirt. Barry also graciously dedicated his children’s book illustrations for Appalachia to Lemuria: A Voice in the Wilderness.

A celebrated Moser event was when his master work The Holy Bible came out. We chose the trade edition for our First Editions Club. The limited edition in two volumes is the most beautiful book we have in our inventory for sale.

So to say that Barry is our pal seems too slight, for he is truly a Lemurian. He loves our store and we all love Barry and his work. Lemuria is excited to have him hanging around and signing books this weekend.

And we must not forget, he absconded one of Lemuria’s pretty booksellers, Emily, to be his wife and became a Yankee bookseller at Odyssey Bookshop in Massachusetts. Emily will be hanging around too, once again selling books for Lemuria.

Old friends and new ones come to meet and visit with this special couple who love to talk, share and live books as an integral part of their lives.

The Accidental Creative by Todd Henry

By John

On November 17, 2011

In Business/Economy

The Accidental Creative: How to Be Brilliant at a Moment’s Notice by Todd Henry

(Portfolio/Penguin, July 2011)

It seems to me that now is the perfect time to read this book. As a result of the recession, those of us in small business have been slammed with challenges in which we don’t have defined skill sets to meet. We question whether we can stay inspired since our old ways of being successful are not working so well. We wonder where our needed level of creativity will come from. Everyday we are faced with frenetic demands that effect our creativity and productivity. Producing insights for success is a constant need. New challenges are causing more demands on our creative ideas. Figuring out that these money-making creative sparks are harder to activate.

Todd Henry’s broad book can helps us actualize our creative juices. Accidental Creative is a guide for establishing a new framework to help move our business forward and set realistic goals.

We own our growth. It is up to each of us to build practices that help us to bring about and focus our creative energy. Creative accidents can bring the best of who we are to our work. At the same time, we need the stability and consistency to take a chance on the ideas brought about by creative insight.

Todd’s new book gives insight on how to hone skill sets and manage boundaries. Several key elements are vital for discovering a personal creative rhythm.

1. Maintain a defined goal, a road map–it will be easier to react to opportunities and take risks with a goal in mind.

2. Work together with a team-ego to yield unselfish results that head in the direction of that defined goal. We improve as we learn to share and receive insights and perspectives from others.

3. Manage energy in order to follow through, not wasting our resources on unproductive projects. Stay out of ruts. Creative work requires that we stay ahead of our work. Stop reacting to work load. Manage the work load with a goal and framework in mind. If we are wise with our energy management, we will find that ideas energy when we least expect them.

4. Choose input strategically. Develop a BS meter. Get real wisdom from books and practice the application daily. Look at opposing ideas at the same time and make decisions that fit into the framework.

As I’ve studied The Accidental Creative, I’ve not only found it helpful in reestablishing my own operative framework, but I’m adapting this pursuit in my own group of Lemuria booksellers. As we create a successful team ego, we hope to become a more consistent and predictable unit. And in the end, we will seek out creative tasks which yield more rewards and satisfaction.

Not only is Lemuria striving to be more creative within but also to generate more creative energy in our community, especially Jackson. Chuck’s Damned Book Night was the first JXRX event. JXRX is a grass roots community campaign is now launched. We encourage individuals and businesses in Jackson to carry the JXRX banner to make Jackson a better place to enjoy our creative talents.

Cutting-Edge Fiction in Jackson, Mississippi

By John

On September 29, 2011

In Newsworthy

Chuck Palahniuk’s skill of observation seems to be the root of his creativity. His experiences spark his imagination through his writing. Are his novels really fiction? Yes, but let’s think about what might be happening here. Could this cutting-edge fiction have something to say about our daily lives in Jackson, Mississippi?

On the surface, we are affected by the oddity or perhaps insanity of his character and plots. He pulls the reader into an array of bizarre situations–for me at least. As Jung might say, Chuck’s images present archetypes we can use to examine our own subconscious life. He digs into myths, fables and images we all have in common.

In reading Chuck, I feel we are reading something bigger than appears on the surface. Is reading Chuck like putting on training wheels to understand our lives better? Is he perhaps trying to wake us up, or open our eyes wider, as we shape our future?

Right: Chuck Palahniuk has been involved with The Cacophony Society, “a randomly gathered network of individuals united in the pursuit of experiences beyond the pale of mainstream society through subversion, pranks, art, fringe explorations and meaningless madness.” Or not so meaningless?

Often in real life, we may be confronted by issues we don’t understand and perhaps fear. (I’m not sure Chuck has any fears left.) The fast world we live in may restrict our inner selves from addressing serious issues thoroughly, and we may just give up, not understanding what’s going on and move on down the road to our next situation or connection.

I believe Chuck is consciously directing his skill of observation and metaphorical expertise of writing, in attempting to cause us to free up ourselves, to free up the reader from his/her own limited ego. He wants us to expand into our wholeness. He wants us to dig into who we already are, into the depths of ourselves.

Left: Stranger Than Fiction, a collection of true stories, a showcase for Chuck’s keen sense of observation.

We Jacksonians (and Mississippians) come up with many reasons to live our lives as is, not consciously trying to activate our creativity. We can deny the possibility of successfully creating change and blame it on something or someone else. We can choose to complain about everything or everybody. Through pretensions are we keeping ourselves down? How authentic are we living our lives to create “our” sense of place, for ourselves and our community? We can stop living so much as a reaction to circumstances and start activating the force of control and awareness of what could be? Can we?

Special events in the life can go by too fast and our memories can be too short to have solid effects of change. However, I believe that if we shed our fears and pool our creative efforts, we can help create our vision of Jackson. We sold our first book on October 20, 1975. What are the possibilities in 2011?

Celebrate Chuck October 20, 2011.

JX///RX

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cpcp

Savor: Mindful Eating, Mindful Life

By John

On September 20, 2011

In Health, Zen

Savor: Mindful Eating, Mindful Life by Thich Nhat Hanh

by Thich Nhat Hanh and Dr. Lilian Cheung

Harper One (2010)

To savor is defined as “to taste with quality.” This book is not just about what to eat; it also teaches us how to eat. Anyone can become more mindful in nourishing our bodies. Savor is not just about learning to maintain a healthy weight and diet. It’s about appreciating what we eat and drink in a more fulfilling way through a more mindful lifestyle. This helps us to connect more deeply with ourselves. Mindful eating practiced along with a regular exercise program eases stress which can increase our awareness, the choices we have and our happiness. Helping ourselves in a mindful way also instills the awareness that helps us to contribute to our local community constructively.

Mind and body are not separate and mindfulness of this does not happen by itself. You need to have the desire to practice it. A holistic understanding of our feelings, mental formations and our body help us to understand our consciousness. All the observations come together when practiced positively which increases awareness. Over time we developed more skill at enjoying what is pleasant and understanding the unpleasant which help us mediate anxiety. By observing our anxiety levels and understanding the causes, we stop the internal knots from becoming tight, choking the more present experience.

Savor lays out the guide posts for beauty, eating, moving, and living–simple methods for improving our relationships at work and home, while improving our physical and mental health. I’ve read many Thich Nhat Hanh books with pleasure and received benefit from them. Savor is a very practical and immediately adaptable if you are interested in self-improvement. If you want to see and be with your world more clearly, reading Savor might help you defrost your windshield.

Zen Master Thich Nhat Hanh will be at Magnolia Village in Batesville September 28 – October 2. Here is the link for more information: http://www.magnoliavillage.org/

Author: John (Page 5 of 19)

Bookstore Keys: Reading One Click: Jeff Bezos and the Rise of amazon.com

The Power of Habit by Charles Duhigg

Bringing Home the Dharma

Start Something That Matters by Blake Mycoskie, Chief Shoe Giver, TOMS

The True Dharma Eye: Zen Master Dōgen’s Three Hundred Kōans

Locavesting: The Revolution in Local Investing and How to Profit from It

Lemuria welcomes back Barry Moser

The Accidental Creative by Todd Henry

Cutting-Edge Fiction in Jackson, Mississippi

Savor: Mindful Eating, Mindful Life

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