It’s almost that time of year when we’ll be inundated with commercials urging us to sign up for diet programs and gym memberships – or better yet, invest in an expensive exercise machine that likely will become a clothes horse in months to come.
It’s all about tapping into our yearning for new beginnings.
I thought of fresh starts recently when I read two new motivational books by St. Petersburg resident Karen Davis-Pritchett. She was in the second grade when she wrote her first book and stapled the pages together.
In adulthood, the healthcare executive and former English teacher has focused her muse on a pair of books that honor “the remarkable strength and beauty of women.”
They couldn’t have appeared at a more appropriate time.
As holidays approach – and it’s not limited to just then — many of us rush around taking on more than can conceivably be accomplished. Davis-Pritchett’s books offer fuel for the tasks at hand, along with reassurance and lessons to tame our futile and often ridiculous quest for perfection.
It occurred to me as I read her books, Strong and Beautiful, and CrossRoads, that they’re just the sort of inspiration needed to start the new year. Strong and Beautiful is fortified with affirmations and includes space for readers to record reflections. In it, Davis-Pritchett shares her grief after the loss of her baby daughter, Lauren, who lived for only a few hours. She writes frankly about how she initially attempted to cope.
Her collection of short stories in CrossRoads serves up tales of choices and lessons learned amid challenges such as breast cancer and destitution. I asked her about these short stories – a format purposely chosen to respect busy lives – and she said they are meant to draw readers into identifying with an aspect of a character’s life and choices, even without having had similar experiences themselves.
