FOUR WORD SELF HELP

FOUR WORD SELF HELP Simple Wisdom for Complex Lives. by Patti Digh

Author and blogger Patti Digh has created a sweet little book full of short pithy 4-word phrases of simple wisdom: "mean what you say" "stop counting, start including""get your fingernails dirty" and my fave (so far) "always assume positive intent."

I first met Patti--online--through her award winning blog 37 Days. I was soon hooked as her essays were both poetic and thoughtful, and here was someone who loved poetry as much as I did! Soon, I found myself checking her blog every morning to see if she had written something new and inspiring; next thing I knew I was commenting on her blog posts and soon we had an online conversation going.

Patti writes in her intro to this book that she "kept to her own 4 word advice" : 1. keep it very simple, 2. make them four words,  3. avoid the word don't, and 4. make each an action. Sounds simple, huh? but in reality...not so simple to write a book so simple with so much depth to it.

She addresses 12 issues in her book and has a thought provoking essay for each issue: Community, Love, Stress, Travel, Soul, Wellness, Success, Green, Activism, Children, Generosity, and Endings. In addition, each page of this book is wonderfully illustrated by readers of Patti's blog 37 Days.

I left this book out on the dining table for my housemates to read and soon would find one of them engrossed in the book---and all commented enthusiastically---they loved it! I suspect you will, also. (so, my advice to you: go out and buy it now!! at your local independent bookstore...) I plan to gift a few of these to special friends over the holidaze..."open doors for others"