WEBVTT 00:00:00.240 --> 00:00:03.000 Welcome back to another episode of Shit That's 00:00:03.000 --> 00:00:05.480 Just Life podcast with your favorite life coach, 00:00:05.960 --> 00:00:11.599 me, Cecile. This book isn't about places. This 00:00:11.599 --> 00:00:14.019 book is about perspective. With that being said, 00:00:14.359 --> 00:00:18.039 I have a lovely author ready to go deep and dive 00:00:18.039 --> 00:00:23.660 about her book. Welcome, Mrs. Birgit Itza with 00:00:23.660 --> 00:00:30.390 Hidden Gems. Places around and within. Question 00:00:30.390 --> 00:00:34.210 of my in here Your book about hidden gems. I 00:00:34.210 --> 00:00:36.429 have a specific question. What does hidden gems 00:00:36.429 --> 00:00:39.469 mean to you personally? Not just a traveler, 00:00:39.530 --> 00:00:46.990 but as a human being So there are places within 00:00:46.990 --> 00:00:55.350 that we Haven't been yet. Yeah, and that Has 00:00:55.350 --> 00:01:01.090 become very clear to me within the past I would 00:01:01.090 --> 00:01:07.049 say two, three years. And it was already before 00:01:07.049 --> 00:01:10.790 I moved to Scotland that I noticed that some 00:01:10.790 --> 00:01:18.129 places speak to us louder than others. Some places 00:01:18.129 --> 00:01:21.629 call us back, some places we absolutely feel 00:01:21.629 --> 00:01:25.010 nothing and we don't understand what the thing 00:01:25.010 --> 00:01:28.659 is about why others are roaming about it. But 00:01:28.659 --> 00:01:33.819 then, yeah, places that we feel at home and places 00:01:33.819 --> 00:01:36.239 we don't feel at home or feel uncomfortable. 00:01:37.359 --> 00:01:41.599 So these places are reflecting something that's 00:01:41.599 --> 00:01:47.140 already in here. Whether we want to or whether 00:01:47.140 --> 00:01:50.040 we think we're ready to meet those, to visit 00:01:50.040 --> 00:01:53.359 those places or to revisit, because sometimes 00:01:53.359 --> 00:01:58.989 we've been there before and we resist to the 00:01:58.989 --> 00:02:02.730 idea of revisiting. We just kind of like, no, 00:02:02.950 --> 00:02:06.010 no, I don't want to go there. No, no, this is 00:02:06.010 --> 00:02:07.829 I've been there. I don't want to go there anymore. 00:02:07.890 --> 00:02:13.530 It was scary. No, thanks. So this is as about 00:02:13.530 --> 00:02:16.150 places in the northeast of Scotland as much as 00:02:16.150 --> 00:02:20.129 it is about places within. OK. And the hidden 00:02:20.129 --> 00:02:25.530 gems are about places that we think. are just 00:02:25.530 --> 00:02:30.550 any other places. But because what they bring 00:02:30.550 --> 00:02:35.009 out or what happens when we really dare to explore 00:02:35.009 --> 00:02:39.530 them, this is how they become hidden gems or 00:02:39.530 --> 00:02:43.389 things we notice. Sometimes it's about noticing 00:02:43.389 --> 00:02:50.870 who we are, who we become when we visit or revisit 00:02:50.870 --> 00:02:54.240 most places, whether it's a you know, around 00:02:54.240 --> 00:02:58.439 us or more importantly within us. It's kind of 00:02:58.439 --> 00:03:00.319 like a full circle moment, like a full circle 00:03:00.319 --> 00:03:05.319 moment, you know? Yeah, like when we revisit 00:03:05.319 --> 00:03:09.939 feelings or when we revisit some events that 00:03:09.939 --> 00:03:13.979 shaped us, are we able to look at them differently? 00:03:14.280 --> 00:03:19.360 Are we able to really allow us to sit on those 00:03:19.360 --> 00:03:26.120 feelings, to observe? ourselves in certain situations. 00:03:26.400 --> 00:03:29.840 Let me piggyback off that. With you saying that, 00:03:30.080 --> 00:03:33.300 what surprised you the most about yourself while 00:03:33.300 --> 00:03:37.719 researching or writing this book? I already knew 00:03:37.719 --> 00:03:41.939 that my feelings are vague. And interestingly 00:03:41.939 --> 00:03:45.060 enough, I wrote today's Instagram post about 00:03:45.060 --> 00:03:51.099 it. And those vague feelings wasn't necessarily 00:03:51.099 --> 00:03:56.090 something. I was proud of. Because all my life 00:03:56.090 --> 00:03:59.669 I've heard, even now sometimes I hear how like 00:03:59.669 --> 00:04:08.009 I'm too much. So it's natural wanting to belong. 00:04:08.889 --> 00:04:13.629 So it's also natural to kind of like trying to 00:04:13.629 --> 00:04:17.689 fit yourself into the expectations of others 00:04:17.689 --> 00:04:19.870 or how they are feeling and you know just kind 00:04:19.870 --> 00:04:23.870 of like dim those things. So this is how I had 00:04:23.870 --> 00:04:28.850 lived the majority of my life with my dimmed 00:04:28.850 --> 00:04:31.629 feelings, which I know were big and scared myself. 00:04:33.329 --> 00:04:37.250 But sitting in those uncomfortable, negative 00:04:37.250 --> 00:04:40.850 feelings and, you know, just allowing myself, 00:04:41.350 --> 00:04:45.670 you know, and accepting all my emotions, I discovered 00:04:45.670 --> 00:04:50.790 that my joy all of a sudden has become so much 00:04:50.790 --> 00:04:54.870 bigger. being not judgmental, not just towards 00:04:54.870 --> 00:05:00.110 others, but also myself. So all those positive 00:05:00.110 --> 00:05:04.810 emotions and feelings grew as well. With that 00:05:04.810 --> 00:05:08.209 internal journey, did you always see yourself 00:05:08.209 --> 00:05:13.790 as someone who looks above the obvious or did 00:05:13.790 --> 00:05:16.689 just as you were traveling, did it teach you 00:05:16.689 --> 00:05:21.860 that? The thing is that A lot of things that 00:05:21.860 --> 00:05:26.620 are obvious to me, that is another probably a 00:05:26.620 --> 00:05:31.680 realization that has come to me, you know, just 00:05:31.680 --> 00:05:35.420 writing those poems, is that what is obvious 00:05:35.420 --> 00:05:41.279 to me is not obvious to others. So we should 00:05:41.279 --> 00:05:45.199 never think that, oh, this is obvious, everybody 00:05:45.199 --> 00:05:53.399 knows that. No. I was, I was speechless in the 00:05:53.399 --> 00:05:58.920 most positive way when poets were native English 00:05:58.920 --> 00:06:04.120 speakers. Like the reason why I put, you know, 00:06:04.279 --> 00:06:08.079 I kind of like postponed the idea of having my 00:06:08.079 --> 00:06:11.279 poetry in English published was because that 00:06:11.279 --> 00:06:14.000 fear that I'm not a native speaker. My poems 00:06:14.000 --> 00:06:21.220 are not poetry enough. Because the way I write 00:06:21.220 --> 00:06:23.699 it's very much about like it comes to me. So 00:06:23.699 --> 00:06:26.160 it's very much like spoken word style So it's 00:06:26.160 --> 00:06:29.519 not like a traditional poetry and I feel like 00:06:29.519 --> 00:06:32.819 perhaps sometimes My vocabulary is not eloquent 00:06:32.819 --> 00:06:35.480 enough to say what I could say in Estonian, which 00:06:35.480 --> 00:06:39.220 is my native tongue So I just consider that these 00:06:39.220 --> 00:06:43.779 are too simple Like these are too simple to you 00:06:43.779 --> 00:06:46.990 know to be considered real poems Because when 00:06:46.990 --> 00:06:48.970 I read poetry in English, I'm like, oh my god, 00:06:48.970 --> 00:06:51.370 this is so beautiful. Oh my god, this is so beautiful. 00:06:52.310 --> 00:06:57.269 And then, but participating in and being one 00:06:57.269 --> 00:07:00.329 of the cool feloners or poetry spoken word event. 00:07:02.670 --> 00:07:06.589 And the feedback that I kept hearing there was 00:07:06.589 --> 00:07:11.750 like, okay, maybe, maybe. Yeah, because I'm like, 00:07:12.029 --> 00:07:15.209 I'm curious what. take you out of a category 00:07:15.209 --> 00:07:19.149 from saying, hey, this is a poem. And the thing 00:07:19.149 --> 00:07:22.189 is, I think it sounds like the comparisons, like 00:07:22.189 --> 00:07:24.829 you're comparing, so you're taking the joy, the 00:07:24.829 --> 00:07:27.990 thief of joy when you start to compare your poems 00:07:27.990 --> 00:07:30.949 to the next poem because you read it. It's like, 00:07:31.430 --> 00:07:35.269 no, a poem is something within. So when you decide 00:07:35.269 --> 00:07:39.540 to release and put it on paper, form it as a 00:07:39.540 --> 00:07:43.339 nice poem that's just you releasing what is what 00:07:43.339 --> 00:07:47.199 is what's in you know yeah but that that's the 00:07:47.199 --> 00:07:51.019 thing that for me poetry is just a form of saying 00:07:51.019 --> 00:07:53.279 things there's one way of thinking of it like 00:07:53.279 --> 00:07:55.019 that you know i guess yeah you can also think 00:07:55.019 --> 00:07:59.899 of it as like um it's a part of letting the next 00:07:59.899 --> 00:08:02.459 person that the reader that you know consumes 00:08:02.459 --> 00:08:05.459 it letting them know there's a connection here 00:08:05.459 --> 00:08:09.420 so Yeah, but that can be created in a different 00:08:09.420 --> 00:08:12.959 way. That's why I distinguish the meanings between 00:08:12.959 --> 00:08:18.120 the word authenticity and intentional. So I like 00:08:18.120 --> 00:08:24.000 that my writing is intentional. I've got a lot 00:08:24.000 --> 00:08:26.980 of authentic stuff in my computer. That's why 00:08:26.980 --> 00:08:29.560 I'm saying this will never get published probably 00:08:29.560 --> 00:08:37.019 unless it gets edited. They are written at the 00:08:37.019 --> 00:08:42.480 states where I wasn't really me, it was my pain 00:08:42.480 --> 00:08:48.019 speaking through me. And the way it's written 00:08:48.019 --> 00:08:53.799 is it will hurt more than it will heal. So it 00:08:53.799 --> 00:08:56.460 will hurt more people than it will heal some 00:08:56.460 --> 00:08:59.899 people. So there needs to be balance. And the 00:08:59.899 --> 00:09:02.899 thing with authentic, if we think about authenticity, 00:09:03.669 --> 00:09:06.070 what is the age group that comes to your mind 00:09:06.070 --> 00:09:10.090 25 and up you know probably the older if we're 00:09:10.090 --> 00:09:13.450 being 100 true honest it would probably be the 00:09:13.450 --> 00:09:18.029 older crowd so really i would say children you 00:09:18.029 --> 00:09:22.350 know i think i'm starting to see as people get 00:09:22.350 --> 00:09:26.519 older they're truly diving into their authentic 00:09:26.519 --> 00:09:29.740 self. So I think that it's an older thing. You 00:09:29.740 --> 00:09:32.519 know, I think as younger children, we see things 00:09:32.519 --> 00:09:34.980 and then we're like copy and paste. But as we 00:09:34.980 --> 00:09:38.440 get older, we start to see, you know what, I 00:09:38.440 --> 00:09:40.460 can do this my own way. You know what, this is 00:09:40.460 --> 00:09:42.960 what I feel. You know, so I say, I think it's 00:09:42.960 --> 00:09:44.700 an older thing. That's just my personal opinion. 00:09:46.340 --> 00:09:48.899 The psychologist says that children up to the 00:09:48.899 --> 00:09:54.409 age of four are authentic. Yeah, yeah. And then 00:09:54.409 --> 00:10:02.669 they start kind of like copying. So when a potlour 00:10:02.669 --> 00:10:04.750 throw themselves, like a two or three year old, 00:10:04.850 --> 00:10:09.610 throw themselves between the shelves, then they're 00:10:09.610 --> 00:10:12.070 being very authentic because they do not know 00:10:12.070 --> 00:10:15.169 how to cope with that. Yeah, because we can be 00:10:15.169 --> 00:10:18.830 our authentic self. Now, the thing is, being 00:10:18.830 --> 00:10:21.950 your authentic self at a certain age doesn't 00:10:21.950 --> 00:10:25.789 look you know, and it doesn't come off as you 00:10:25.789 --> 00:10:27.889 want it to be. So that's why you have to swing 00:10:27.889 --> 00:10:30.730 from being your authentic self to intentional. 00:10:30.850 --> 00:10:33.210 So you can say, no, this is what I meant for 00:10:33.210 --> 00:10:35.870 you. But authentically, that's what I felt. You 00:10:35.870 --> 00:10:37.809 know, yeah, I started crying out of nowhere because 00:10:37.809 --> 00:10:40.830 that's what I felt. But what I meant to do is 00:10:40.830 --> 00:10:44.990 communicate how I feel, you know, what I need 00:10:44.990 --> 00:10:48.809 x, y, and z. So I can see that argument. Is there 00:10:48.809 --> 00:10:51.610 a place that almost didn't make the book but 00:10:51.610 --> 00:11:00.590 ended up changing everything? I did write some 00:11:00.590 --> 00:11:05.090 poems just for that book. Okay. For example, 00:11:06.830 --> 00:11:11.370 the poem Hidden Gems is written just for that 00:11:11.370 --> 00:11:13.070 book. Just for that book. Just for that book. 00:11:13.389 --> 00:11:16.769 So it wasn't the majority. So there are 44 poems 00:11:16.769 --> 00:11:21.370 because I published it the age of 44. And again, 00:11:21.480 --> 00:11:29.779 intentional. So there were 42 of those poems 00:11:29.779 --> 00:11:34.559 were already existing in my computer. One of 00:11:34.559 --> 00:11:38.860 them came during putting the poetry together. 00:11:39.779 --> 00:11:42.539 So I decided I'll include that because I visited 00:11:42.539 --> 00:11:45.440 a place so I know that I really want this to 00:11:45.440 --> 00:11:48.820 be in there. And then I noticed that, oh, I've 00:11:48.820 --> 00:11:52.419 got only 43 poems. I was like, Oh, why don't 00:11:52.419 --> 00:11:56.980 I write a poem about the book and the places 00:11:56.980 --> 00:12:01.480 in general? So I did. Do you do your best work 00:12:01.480 --> 00:12:05.059 in quiet or chaos when it comes to writing? Quiet. 00:12:05.840 --> 00:12:09.320 I can't write in cafes. I can observe and I can 00:12:09.320 --> 00:12:13.399 take notes, but I can't write in crowded, noisy 00:12:13.399 --> 00:12:19.600 places. I need peace and quiet in the door. between 00:12:19.600 --> 00:12:24.279 the whole way and is closed. What I do have is 00:12:24.279 --> 00:12:28.480 instrumental music that kind of like, if there 00:12:28.480 --> 00:12:35.679 is noise outside or I've got dogs sometimes barking 00:12:35.679 --> 00:12:38.419 upstairs, so it will just kind of like, that 00:12:38.419 --> 00:12:42.460 music quiets, it quiets the noise that might 00:12:42.460 --> 00:12:46.240 come from outside and creates that kind of like... 00:12:48.579 --> 00:12:51.659 Background for me to work. So yeah, if that's 00:12:51.659 --> 00:12:54.340 not possible, for example, I'm on a train and 00:12:54.340 --> 00:12:57.039 I want to work I put a headphones on so I can 00:12:57.039 --> 00:12:59.679 switch myself off. Yeah, I know I don't I don't 00:12:59.679 --> 00:13:05.620 I can't focus on on and You know on places where 00:13:05.620 --> 00:13:08.820 there's constant stimulation going on I can observe 00:13:08.820 --> 00:13:12.379 I can take notes when traveling Did you ever 00:13:12.379 --> 00:13:15.399 feel like you were in true intruding like intruding 00:13:15.399 --> 00:13:17.399 on these places or did you just feel welcomed 00:13:17.399 --> 00:13:24.639 as you were? going? I did feel like some of the 00:13:24.639 --> 00:13:35.559 places felt unreal. And I was in tears that I've 00:13:35.559 --> 00:13:38.679 had the opportunity to see those places with 00:13:38.679 --> 00:13:43.059 my own eyes. Definitely there are places that 00:13:43.059 --> 00:13:49.360 made me very very emotional. deeply grateful 00:13:49.360 --> 00:13:54.379 to have this experience, to have this ability 00:13:54.379 --> 00:13:59.340 to walk to those places because some of them 00:13:59.340 --> 00:14:03.179 were really, really remote or difficult to access. 00:14:03.419 --> 00:14:07.139 Did you ever question whether some places should 00:14:07.139 --> 00:14:11.019 remain hidden, like as you were going down? Some 00:14:11.019 --> 00:14:13.620 of these places are considered hidden gems, but 00:14:13.620 --> 00:14:19.539 they're all None of them is, you know, only my 00:14:19.539 --> 00:14:22.200 place or, you know, no one ever has been there 00:14:22.200 --> 00:14:27.259 or just they... I think it's not so much about 00:14:27.259 --> 00:14:32.000 the place. For example, there is a wee coastal 00:14:32.000 --> 00:14:34.980 village called Coliston, which I really like. 00:14:35.559 --> 00:14:37.960 Yeah. And I enjoy being there and I enjoy going 00:14:37.960 --> 00:14:41.200 for a dooks there and I like the community. Yeah. 00:14:41.740 --> 00:14:45.899 So the Coliston itself is not hidden just... 00:14:45.769 --> 00:14:47.929 hidden gem because it's a well -known place. 00:14:49.269 --> 00:14:55.070 But what you notice in that place, who you become 00:14:55.070 --> 00:15:02.149 in that place, or what becomes important to you, 00:15:02.769 --> 00:15:06.570 that is what makes this place a hidden gem or 00:15:06.570 --> 00:15:11.970 just place like any other. So I believe that 00:15:11.970 --> 00:15:15.700 everyone has their own list of hidden gems. yeah 00:15:15.700 --> 00:15:18.740 but it sounds like you found like specific areas 00:15:18.740 --> 00:15:23.460 in these places that either one has never just 00:15:23.460 --> 00:15:26.480 thought to explore or you know what i'm saying 00:15:26.480 --> 00:15:31.360 or it's just not let's just say known to others 00:15:31.360 --> 00:15:34.519 you know like famously known so it sounds like 00:15:34.519 --> 00:15:36.879 oh they are some other places are famously known 00:15:36.879 --> 00:15:40.519 it's just they're not considered or they people 00:15:40.519 --> 00:15:45.679 walk past a lot of well -known places without, 00:15:45.679 --> 00:15:48.820 you know, paying attention much what was happening. 00:15:49.700 --> 00:15:51.639 And that's, it is funny that you mentioned that 00:15:51.639 --> 00:15:53.940 because you can correct me if I'm wrong. I feel 00:15:53.940 --> 00:15:57.960 like this book helps slow you down in a world 00:15:57.960 --> 00:16:02.120 that's obsessed with speed. So I feel like when 00:16:02.120 --> 00:16:04.500 reading a book, it helps you just kind of take 00:16:04.500 --> 00:16:07.899 a breather, observe everything around you, you 00:16:07.899 --> 00:16:13.019 know, take it all in. Yeah, that's what the feedback 00:16:13.019 --> 00:16:18.259 has been to that. I really want to think what 00:16:18.259 --> 00:16:24.279 I just read. And, you know, people who have started 00:16:24.279 --> 00:16:28.519 creative writing and they've said, you know, 00:16:28.659 --> 00:16:32.100 all those simple, it really hits your heart, 00:16:32.220 --> 00:16:36.669 like it touches places inside. And I'm thinking, 00:16:36.909 --> 00:16:41.230 yes, this is why I wrote it. This works. This 00:16:41.230 --> 00:16:44.990 works. Yeah, this works. It's got to be liberating 00:16:44.990 --> 00:16:49.730 to hear people diving into another part of their 00:16:49.730 --> 00:16:52.330 mentals, first off, as they're reading this book, 00:16:52.769 --> 00:16:55.870 you know? Yeah. So that's got to be a blessing 00:16:55.870 --> 00:17:00.009 in disguise. It's like me trying to explain things 00:17:00.009 --> 00:17:03.529 to the inner six -year -olds, what is happening. 00:17:04.299 --> 00:17:09.339 And by doing so, I hope that others who read 00:17:09.339 --> 00:17:13.539 that will find something about themselves. Because 00:17:13.539 --> 00:17:17.960 all of these things in that book have happened 00:17:17.960 --> 00:17:22.000 to me, or it's coming to the readers through 00:17:22.000 --> 00:17:26.480 me. This book is not about me. It is about the 00:17:26.480 --> 00:17:30.589 reader. It is about what reader makes and thinks 00:17:30.589 --> 00:17:35.710 on how they interpret the words and the way things 00:17:35.710 --> 00:17:39.089 are said. Is that my work that you're reading? 00:17:40.089 --> 00:17:43.329 Yes, yes, yes. And the thing is that when sometimes 00:17:43.329 --> 00:17:46.509 I'm going through my computer folder and I'm 00:17:46.509 --> 00:17:48.930 discovering poems that I can't remember that 00:17:48.930 --> 00:17:51.809 I've written, then I have the same emotion. Hey, 00:17:51.950 --> 00:17:54.430 did I write that? I was like, yeah, do you ever 00:17:54.430 --> 00:17:56.589 run into something where you're like, is this 00:17:56.589 --> 00:18:00.210 my work? Was these my words? You know? Yeah, 00:18:00.210 --> 00:18:02.690 even with that, because that was published two 00:18:02.690 --> 00:18:06.130 months ago. What I encourage people to do when 00:18:06.130 --> 00:18:08.390 I'm coaching them on where I'm doing workshops 00:18:08.390 --> 00:18:13.069 is that the first draft that you're writing, 00:18:13.250 --> 00:18:15.849 just write everything out. Don't hold anything 00:18:15.849 --> 00:18:19.750 back. It's just like say yes to every word that 00:18:19.750 --> 00:18:22.710 wants to come out of you. Yeah. And that is the 00:18:22.710 --> 00:18:25.049 writing process. This is where one part of your 00:18:25.049 --> 00:18:29.609 brain, that creative brain is working. And people 00:18:29.609 --> 00:18:32.190 are afraid to do that because they want this 00:18:32.190 --> 00:18:35.910 first version to be the published version. But 00:18:35.910 --> 00:18:38.569 the first version is never going to be the one 00:18:38.569 --> 00:18:41.410 that ends up in the book. You're going to read 00:18:41.410 --> 00:18:45.049 it so many times that you're sick to death of 00:18:45.049 --> 00:18:48.259 your own writing. before it gets to the pages, 00:18:48.599 --> 00:18:52.000 like to the publishing process, like to be an 00:18:52.000 --> 00:18:54.799 actual book. It's fun though. It's fun though. 00:18:54.839 --> 00:18:58.380 See, I've gotten into it. I actually enjoy getting 00:18:58.380 --> 00:19:01.079 lost in the story. That's what made me started 00:19:01.079 --> 00:19:03.359 wanting to interview authors because I'm like, 00:19:04.140 --> 00:19:06.059 now I want to speak to the people who decided 00:19:06.059 --> 00:19:09.460 to write this book because the story is always 00:19:09.460 --> 00:19:11.420 impeccable. It's always something that I've never 00:19:11.420 --> 00:19:13.519 expected. I'm always going down a journey that 00:19:13.519 --> 00:19:16.950 I didn't even know existed. I like reading for 00:19:16.950 --> 00:19:19.549 fun. I think it's fun and it just helps me. Yeah, 00:19:19.609 --> 00:19:22.650 but this is where my editor's brain gets, it 00:19:22.650 --> 00:19:25.369 gets in a way. So it's like when I'm reading 00:19:25.369 --> 00:19:28.789 a book and I'm like, and you start editing as 00:19:28.789 --> 00:19:33.210 you're reading. Oh my goodness. Yes. So this 00:19:33.210 --> 00:19:36.170 is difficult. I find it difficult to switch that 00:19:36.170 --> 00:19:38.430 brain off when I'm starting reading because, 00:19:38.670 --> 00:19:42.190 you know, for my brain, okay, reading, that's 00:19:42.190 --> 00:19:46.970 work. But as an editor and the editor brain starts 00:19:46.970 --> 00:19:49.609 to kick in and say no that that doesn't go there 00:19:49.609 --> 00:19:53.099 well that Yeah, yeah, that should work better 00:19:53.099 --> 00:19:57.079 there. I just swap the chapters here or I've 00:19:57.079 --> 00:19:59.319 read this already five times you're repeating 00:19:59.319 --> 00:20:02.180 yourself. Do you think I'm stupid? But that's 00:20:02.180 --> 00:20:05.180 so nice though that that because I've I've talked 00:20:05.180 --> 00:20:07.640 to an English teacher of mine and that's how 00:20:07.640 --> 00:20:10.680 she speaks about books So I can tell her a certain 00:20:10.680 --> 00:20:12.539 book and she's like, I don't see how you like 00:20:12.539 --> 00:20:14.319 that She just repeated herself in every chapter 00:20:14.759 --> 00:20:18.039 So it shows how intentional and how much you 00:20:18.039 --> 00:20:20.339 pay attention to detail when you're reading. 00:20:20.619 --> 00:20:22.900 Yeah, I do pay attention to details. Thank you 00:20:22.900 --> 00:20:25.980 for saying so. And that's another thing for I 00:20:25.980 --> 00:20:28.140 thought, you know, just people that don't get 00:20:28.140 --> 00:20:30.519 stuck in the details. No, I'm not getting stuck 00:20:30.519 --> 00:20:36.180 in the details. Because if one Lisa had a small 00:20:36.180 --> 00:20:40.640 black dot on her nose, that tiny detail would 00:20:40.640 --> 00:20:45.940 change the painting. People don't understand 00:20:45.940 --> 00:20:49.400 the importance of detail and they fail to realize 00:20:49.400 --> 00:20:52.700 that The person that is very intentional. It's 00:20:52.700 --> 00:20:55.859 going to pay attention to detail. They're the 00:20:55.859 --> 00:20:58.480 hidden gen names, but you look at the front cover 00:20:58.480 --> 00:21:02.240 Mm -hmm What you see that so there are tiny footprints. 00:21:02.240 --> 00:21:07.920 Yes. Yes And when you look at the back We see 00:21:07.920 --> 00:21:11.859 the water covers the truth. Yes So the water 00:21:11.859 --> 00:21:15.170 has washed away the footprints So it is also 00:21:15.170 --> 00:21:18.069 a journey when it comes to the cover design. 00:21:19.509 --> 00:21:22.369 Nice. What was the hardest part of bringing this 00:21:22.369 --> 00:21:25.569 book to life? Would you say logically or emotionally? 00:21:26.250 --> 00:21:30.490 It was understanding what the book is going to 00:21:30.490 --> 00:21:35.369 be about. Okay. So in my 2025 year of goals, 00:21:35.509 --> 00:21:38.390 I've got like an annual plan of things, you know, 00:21:38.410 --> 00:21:42.190 my goals that I want to achieve, the books that 00:21:42.190 --> 00:21:45.000 I'm writing. If I know that there are conferences 00:21:45.000 --> 00:21:47.940 or things where I'm performing, I put them all 00:21:47.940 --> 00:21:53.039 in. So I've got an A3 sheet of paper divided 00:21:53.039 --> 00:21:57.160 into 12 boxes. Each box is for one month. So 00:21:57.160 --> 00:21:59.660 this is how I plan my year ahead. And for me, 00:21:59.660 --> 00:22:01.980 that gives that kind of like that creative freedom 00:22:01.980 --> 00:22:08.180 to do stuff. And then we were talking about how, 00:22:08.180 --> 00:22:11.400 you know, the places that are within and how 00:22:11.400 --> 00:22:13.730 it brings up something in us. And then I was 00:22:13.730 --> 00:22:16.650 like, oh my God, this is my theme. This is my 00:22:16.650 --> 00:22:18.990 theme. This is what's gonna be about Heaven Gems. 00:22:19.170 --> 00:22:21.730 And I'm like, okay, now I've got it, now I've 00:22:21.730 --> 00:22:24.490 got it. So it's random. It seems like it was 00:22:24.490 --> 00:22:27.950 random. Is that how you pick your poems? Like 00:22:27.950 --> 00:22:30.029 how do you actually pick a poem to know this 00:22:30.029 --> 00:22:31.970 is going straight for the book, this is not going 00:22:31.970 --> 00:22:33.670 for the book? Like how does that come about? 00:22:34.410 --> 00:22:37.190 If it included a place, like an actual place, 00:22:37.309 --> 00:22:41.960 it was in. Okay. Like a place. You know what 00:22:41.960 --> 00:22:45.920 I had visited. Okay, that was in If it didn't 00:22:45.920 --> 00:22:48.440 include that stayed out so you kept it more like 00:22:48.440 --> 00:22:51.359 location if I go if I've been there I'm gonna 00:22:51.359 --> 00:22:53.380 talk about it. I'm gonna wait for the book. Okay, 00:22:53.539 --> 00:22:55.640 that's that's pretty simplifying it because I 00:22:55.640 --> 00:22:58.339 know me personally I would have been uh, did 00:22:58.339 --> 00:22:59.920 we talk about my feelings? Do we talk about where 00:22:59.920 --> 00:23:02.259 I went? What do we talk about here? So I would 00:23:02.259 --> 00:23:03.940 have been all over the place one and seventy 00:23:03.940 --> 00:23:10.039 five. Let's try seven Seven So the poem is called 00:23:10.039 --> 00:23:14.519 Free in the Dance. Okay, I like that. Free in 00:23:14.519 --> 00:23:20.920 the Dance. Imagine a wind forming waves on the 00:23:20.920 --> 00:23:25.680 sea or playing on the fields or singing along 00:23:25.680 --> 00:23:29.799 the tops of the trees. You can also imagine a 00:23:29.799 --> 00:23:34.079 fire with its warming flames showing lights in 00:23:34.079 --> 00:23:41.220 those lonely chilly nights. That's me. That could 00:23:41.220 --> 00:23:46.819 be me in your life. I might warm your hands or 00:23:46.819 --> 00:23:50.960 test your skin. I can be your storm and your 00:23:50.960 --> 00:23:57.220 heart. To have me in your life, you need to learn 00:23:57.220 --> 00:24:02.759 how to dance with me. Lead me with the kind of 00:24:02.759 --> 00:24:07.039 strength that listens before it touches. Follow 00:24:07.039 --> 00:24:11.859 me. Play along. Learn to feel my gentle pull, 00:24:11.920 --> 00:24:15.700 not to chase, passing shadows as mysterious as 00:24:15.700 --> 00:24:21.819 they are. Move with me, and I will be the whispering 00:24:21.819 --> 00:24:25.180 breeze that caresses your skin in the glens on 00:24:25.180 --> 00:24:30.660 a hot summer's day. If you want my warmth, my 00:24:30.660 --> 00:24:35.859 softness, my gentle movements, you need to learn 00:24:35.859 --> 00:24:41.039 how to dance with me. My flames are a gift, not 00:24:41.039 --> 00:24:47.180 an entitlement. Contest my heat. Instead, uncover 00:24:47.180 --> 00:24:51.019 its source. Pay attention to me and I will light 00:24:51.019 --> 00:24:54.900 up your night and will be the reason your trust 00:24:54.900 --> 00:25:00.839 won't again. You cannot control the wind, only 00:25:00.839 --> 00:25:06.289 direct it. Wind only flows when it's safe. Where 00:25:06.289 --> 00:25:11.589 there are no walls to trap it Your forced moves 00:25:11.589 --> 00:25:17.849 do no favors Invite me with patience You creating 00:25:17.849 --> 00:25:21.569 a safe space for me to move graciously Is you 00:25:21.569 --> 00:25:26.509 leading the dance instead of controlling it It's 00:25:26.509 --> 00:25:32.329 about playfulness Not playing power games You 00:25:32.329 --> 00:25:36.569 cannot command the flame Only look after it. 00:25:37.289 --> 00:25:41.690 Your wants mean nothing without you clearly communicating. 00:25:43.369 --> 00:25:46.450 You can be the one who guides or enjoys being 00:25:46.450 --> 00:25:51.150 guided yourself. Dance is worth remembering are 00:25:51.150 --> 00:25:54.329 born from real connection. Conversations made 00:25:54.329 --> 00:25:57.690 of dialogues instead of monologues or countless 00:25:57.690 --> 00:26:02.630 clues with no time to respond to anything. Give 00:26:02.630 --> 00:26:07.329 me time to finish the twirls you initiate. Let 00:26:07.329 --> 00:26:10.569 me be seen in your soul and heard in your heart. 00:26:12.309 --> 00:26:17.170 Feel the rhythm shift with me. I won't be the 00:26:17.170 --> 00:26:20.190 one who learns your moves just to please you. 00:26:21.430 --> 00:26:24.210 They weren't really following. They just gave 00:26:24.210 --> 00:26:27.329 you the impression they did. So you would have 00:26:27.329 --> 00:26:32.539 the impression you had the lead. Wind and fire 00:26:32.539 --> 00:26:36.019 get no pleasure from pretending. They are who 00:26:36.019 --> 00:26:39.940 they are. Dancing on the field, hilltops and 00:26:39.940 --> 00:26:43.259 seas, or in your wood -burning stove, fire pits 00:26:43.259 --> 00:26:46.460 are as a flickering candle on a table set for 00:26:46.460 --> 00:26:50.660 a romantic night in. And when treated wrong, 00:26:51.440 --> 00:26:54.579 they will become storms, or wildfires, or stillness 00:26:54.579 --> 00:26:59.099 that keeps you stuck, or the flames will just 00:26:59.099 --> 00:27:03.940 die out. Dancing with me doesn't mean moving 00:27:03.940 --> 00:27:07.019 constantly, but it does require consistency, 00:27:07.920 --> 00:27:11.740 appreciation and curiosity, even in the moment 00:27:11.740 --> 00:27:14.200 of stillness where it feels like there is nothing 00:27:14.200 --> 00:27:19.680 to look for. Stillness is an absence. It's potential. 00:27:20.740 --> 00:27:24.619 It's where tension builds. It's in the pause 00:27:24.619 --> 00:27:27.900 before the spark, in the hush before the gust, 00:27:28.400 --> 00:27:31.819 where trust grows. or the embers get soaked. 00:27:33.579 --> 00:27:37.099 Don't expect me to dance because you like the 00:27:37.099 --> 00:27:40.480 song or because the music is playing so loud 00:27:40.480 --> 00:27:46.279 it's impossible to ignore. Ask me. Be present 00:27:46.279 --> 00:27:50.000 when you do that. Ask me only if it's really 00:27:50.000 --> 00:27:55.420 me you want to dance with. Having me in your 00:27:55.420 --> 00:27:58.930 arms but someone else in your mind. over -reflected 00:27:58.930 --> 00:28:02.650 in your moves, and neither of us would really 00:28:02.650 --> 00:28:07.269 enjoy the dance with you. I can be the wind in 00:28:07.269 --> 00:28:10.630 your sails and the fire in your desire, but if 00:28:10.630 --> 00:28:13.529 you want to get close to me, close to my heart 00:28:13.529 --> 00:28:18.349 and meet my soul, you really need to learn how 00:28:18.349 --> 00:28:22.529 to dance with me. How does the brain create an 00:28:22.529 --> 00:28:25.680 imagination like that? you know, like how do 00:28:25.680 --> 00:28:29.740 those words come to you? Is that just, in the 00:28:29.740 --> 00:28:33.180 room of peace, of quiet, the words just come 00:28:33.180 --> 00:28:34.980 and flow? Is that how it works for you? Yeah, 00:28:35.859 --> 00:28:39.200 you put it the way it is. They just come to me. 00:28:39.240 --> 00:28:42.420 Okay. They just come to me. Sometimes it's just 00:28:42.420 --> 00:28:46.319 one phrase. What I do in my free time, not to 00:28:46.319 --> 00:28:49.690 think about writing, is I'm dancing. Okay. Yeah, 00:28:49.869 --> 00:28:54.349 so I've learned a lot about myself and how to, 00:28:54.349 --> 00:28:58.950 you know, lead my business. And I've also learned 00:28:58.950 --> 00:29:02.430 a lot about other people attending dance classes 00:29:02.430 --> 00:29:08.029 and social dancing. And it's very much like, 00:29:08.430 --> 00:29:11.930 you can understand a lot about who they are as 00:29:11.930 --> 00:29:14.869 a person, the way they are dancing. As a writer, 00:29:14.890 --> 00:29:18.230 does it help for you to socialize and get out 00:29:18.230 --> 00:29:23.279 more? creates new stories for you? Yeah. Okay. 00:29:23.559 --> 00:29:26.240 Yeah, very much so. Very much so. And I think 00:29:26.240 --> 00:29:29.619 that I don't think I've been ever wrong about 00:29:29.619 --> 00:29:32.460 the person. Yeah. After my observations, how 00:29:32.460 --> 00:29:34.440 they are dancing, how they are leading, how they 00:29:34.440 --> 00:29:37.500 are communicating. Okay. The way they are communicating 00:29:37.500 --> 00:29:40.539 on the dance floor is exactly how they're communicating 00:29:40.539 --> 00:29:43.240 verbally and, you know, just outside the dance 00:29:43.240 --> 00:29:48.019 floor. Yes. I can agree. I can agree. Final question 00:29:48.019 --> 00:29:51.069 for you. is if you were to write Hidden Gems 00:29:51.069 --> 00:29:53.890 again in 10 years, what do you think would be 00:29:53.890 --> 00:29:59.009 different about the places or about you? I think 00:29:59.009 --> 00:30:02.950 there will be other places. Okay. And I think 00:30:02.950 --> 00:30:07.170 some of the places that are important now wouldn't 00:30:07.170 --> 00:30:10.789 be important in 10 years. Okay. And perhaps some 00:30:10.789 --> 00:30:13.769 other places that I even don't know that exist, 00:30:14.190 --> 00:30:19.730 I might have discovered. by that time. Living 00:30:19.730 --> 00:30:28.049 is a lifelong job and a lifelong joy. One of 00:30:28.049 --> 00:30:34.269 my core values is curiosity. One of the things 00:30:34.269 --> 00:30:37.029 I encourage people to do is stay curious. Stay 00:30:37.029 --> 00:30:40.930 curious about your own life, what is happening 00:30:40.930 --> 00:30:45.569 within, how you behave in certain situations. 00:30:46.269 --> 00:30:50.490 much about what others are doing but what it 00:30:50.490 --> 00:30:54.329 brings in you. I can piggyback on that that it's 00:30:54.329 --> 00:30:58.109 just focusing on what really makes you happy 00:30:58.109 --> 00:30:59.809 because once you find out what makes you happy 00:30:59.809 --> 00:31:01.509 then you'll know what makes you sad.