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April 1, 2024

Season 4. Episode 13: Susan Glenney: From Hospitality career to author who empowers women

Season 4. Episode 13: Susan Glenney: From Hospitality career to author who empowers women

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Susan Glenney is a gentle soul whose story includes some horrific childhood trauma. She has made her way through that and teaches us a little about her methods in this interview.  She started in the Hospitality field and was doing that work for years but the "writing bug" bit her and wouldn't let go....she became an author and wrote a  novella ("Moments in time with 16 Men"). Her latest novel is "The Bowtie." Susan uses her books as a platform to encourage other women to heal. The stories she tells are lively and enjoyable, but also teach us how to overcome and be more at peace in our lives.

Amazon link for "Moments in Time with 16 Men":

https://www.amazon.com/Moments-Time-Men-Susan-Glenney/dp/1076664539/

Susan's  website:

https://www.SusanGlenney.com 

Free chapter from "Moments in Time with 16 Men" for readers:

https://www.susanglenney.com/free-chapter

Her Instagram page:

https://www.instagram.com/authorsusanglenney/

Her Facebook page:

https://www.facebook.com/authorsusanglenney/


The  book trailer for "Moments in Time with 16 Men":

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1HAG7KM6m54&t=3s




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Original music "Saturday Sway" by Brendan Talian

Transcript
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00:00:24.929 --> 00:00:31.410
Hello and welcome to The Storied Human. My guest today is author Susan Glenney.

00:00:27.329 --> 00:01:06.599
She wrote the novella, The Bow Tie. That's her latest and I'm dying to hear about the bow tie because it figures very prominently in the story. And it's sort of fascinating. That's her second book, her first one was Moments in Time with 16 Men, which also, I want to read so bad, because that's an amazing tale. And it really reveals a lot about a woman's journey. It really does. So she writes about women empowerment, and overcoming adversity, which I think we always need to hear about, we always need to be reminded that we can do that.

00:01:03.210 --> 00:01:15.930
She's been a contributing feature writer for Kennebec journal in Maine. And she's in New England or at heart. She lives near the Connecticut River. And she goes there often.

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And I've been there I visited Essex. It's beautiful. I get it.

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It's beautiful country. So welcome. It's so nice to have you.

00:01:23.159 --> 00:02:04.290
Thank you so much, Lynne, for having me. And speaking of being a New Englander, I just walked today and I saw my first crocus it's like, wow, and I use one of my video pod for my videos because I did kneel down I did this little, this little lonely blue, purple crocus, but it was coming up and it was just so cool. So spring is right here, we need those. We need those little we have some snow drops in our front yard. And it was like, we were going out for a walk and my husband goes look, the snow drives were like, you know, we just need them. We literally signs it's a sign of spring optimism and a new cycle for Saul.

00:02:04.618 --> 00:02:52.500
Definitely. So why don't we start your I would love to hear about your story. And I want to hear more about the bow tie. But what did I'm always interested in knowing what you did before you were a writer and how you got there. Because that is amazing. Not everyone can do that. Well, before we said writer was in the hospitality business on their own for you know, several decades. I also did retail, a little bit of retail management, but mostly hospitality. And I did everything from parking cars, which I'm actually terrible at to you know, being a bridal attendant to flipping burgers to you know, setting up rooms for baby showers or funerals. You know, you name it I did it whatever they needed, right? Yeah, I wish your to your to your go to girl.

00:02:54.990 --> 00:03:00.030
So how did you What happened that made you want to change? Or how did you make the transition?

00:03:00.780 --> 00:03:21.780
Well, behind that facade of doing all that was this inner voice that kept saying you've got to write you've got to write. And growing up I was I liked writing I wasn't. You know, it wasn't a big activity for me. But I did write about nature and poetry. I outdoors.

00:03:16.169 --> 00:03:41.250
But what happened is start to get really interested in writing at a later life. And I did photography, I was more interested in photojournalism and I was hired for that for some work. And then the writing kept coming up. And I did feature writing or like, oh, things on Tai Chi and education.

00:03:36.060 --> 00:03:57.750
And the paper asks me to do more. But simultaneously, there's his heart pounding, and he says, no, no, you've got to do something else. And I ignored it. It it pounded really hard. I felt like I really want to ignore it. And it Nope, you got to listen. And it was telling me to write something different.

00:03:54.509 --> 00:04:01.289
And it said you got to write with the short stories. And so I did that I wrote short stories.

00:04:01.319 --> 00:04:47.759
And then I elevated it. I brought the book moments in time was 16 men to an editor. And it was originally 18 men but I kicked two guys up because they didn't just they didn't make the cut. You know? They're out of there. Yeah, they were out I kicked. Yeah, I don't know where they are now. But you know, you know what's funny? 16 min sounds perfect. Like that number sounds perfect in the title. It just sounds great. Yeah, I kind of thought about that. So what is interesting that she said to me, something's missing here. It's flat. Your characters are flat you're flat. It's it's it's not real. It's like you know, snippets of a Hallmark card or something and I I didn't want it here of course, which was that was fear that right?

00:04:47.759 --> 00:04:54.660
Yeah. But she's absolutely right. So what I did, and for those writers out there, I went back to the drawing board.

00:04:54.779 --> 00:05:11.220
That's so I'm back to the basics. I read classics. I took classes. I really read on the on the structure short stories. I mean, I almost got like a master's degree. It just it is.

00:05:11.250 --> 00:05:56.100
And I was also at home living with my mom helping her out. So I did that. And slowly I got my voice, that voice from the heart came out. Yeah. Yeah. And you're right, yeah, my voice in the characters became deeper and deeper and I became deeper. And I did a lot of research. Because in the moments in time was 16 Min, the book stars Jennifer Grace Donnelly, who's an award winning teacher in Maine. But in the middle of her life, she gets flashbacks from trauma, and she's got to go on piece her history together of what happened. So it's like, piecing together a piece of a puzzle.

00:05:51.810 --> 00:05:56.100
Slowly, she pieces it together.

00:05:56.459 --> 00:06:32.910
And as she's piecing it together, her life shatters, she hits rock bottom, she's got to go back and keep piecing it together. And she at this time, she leaves teaching, and she works at a card shop. In there, she meets this woman who helps her on her healing path, because they both experienced childhood trauma. Same thing. And what's so interesting, I purposely have this in the book, they both heal with different tools. And the whole thing is, most of us have had some sort of trauma and like there's different levels of it.

00:06:29.939 --> 00:08:50.460
But we've all had that sadness or pain. And the key for healing, even if it's on an elementary level is to find out what works for you. So I purposely had that the card store owner, for example. She said to Jennifer, oh, why don't you try massage, it really helps me and Jennifer goes, No, I can't deal with that. The only way I can do is I can have someone touch my nails or my feet. And and then another one, whereas Jennifer later on, believes in forgiveness. Whereas Alicia at the bookstore, assuming the card shop owner doesn't do so I purposely have it that hall both have their own tools, it just like in life is it's not a one size fits all, you got to find out what works for you. And this is part of the whole healing journey of when you've had something that's been really hard for you in life is you've got to figure out the tools that work for you. Not what's the latest on tick tock, or on Instagram, or, you know, in the New York Times, but what works for you. And that's the key. And also what works for you now, might not work for you five years from now. So you've got to constantly fine tune it. And, for example, in Jennifer's case, her tools were she was a runner, she also did origami. And she did our journal writing. And she also got professional help. And she eventually lived a very happy life, but she let go the past and she became free and empowered. But it's an ongoing journey. And even now, for example, my life when I've had traumas, you're constantly fine tuning it, you know. And that's the whole secret is if something comes up, you have a tool to deal with. It's like even before today's podcasted breathwork, I got wreathen remolded for four and out. And the thing is with breathwork is, you know you don't have to buy it on Amazon.

00:08:47.700 --> 00:10:32.070
You don't have to order it anywhere. You don't have to pay for it. It's there. It's your best friend. And you can do it anywhere. You can do it in the elevator, you could do it driving. So that's a tool. So I love that. Yeah. So you surrounded yourself, you found tools that work for you. And you don't expect your trauma to stay hidden or go away. You know things bring it up, but you're ready. That's such a great lesson for people. That's a really great way to say it. And I love to say N equals one, you know, we're only a sample of one. And something that works for you might not work for the next person. It's really important to keep trying. It is finding that thing that and I haven't had a lot of trauma but I did have a pretty horrible time when I lost my mom really suddenly 22 years ago and I didn't handle it. Well it's it's actually a couple of podcast episodes, a couple of solos, trying to help people understand that grief can turn into complicated grief and a mixture of grief and depression and I you know I was there in that, that place for two years and for me it was therapy and the support of my family, and just facing some, some just learning how to get through. Like, I think there's an avoidance thing. And you just, I remember saying to my therapist, like, I'm afraid to start crying because I feel like I will never stop. And I had younger children, so I had to sort of keep it together. And I remember her, it's so simple, really. But you don't realize it when you're going through it. She said, You just have to go through it.

00:10:28.769 --> 00:11:03.960
There is another side, you have to realize there's another side, you have to realize that it's not going anywhere. You can't stuff it down, because that's what came up like that I had been stuffing things down in general, I think a lot of women do, right? We don't exactly exactly don't show the things we're not supposed to show like, you can't get too angry, or anyway, I don't mean to go on and on into a treatise. I'm just saying, I get what you're saying. I found what worked for me, and it really helped. And I'm, and I talk about it so that people will find what works for them faster than I did. A little faster than I did.

00:11:04.379 --> 00:12:20.159
Yeah. And the other thing is, difference between now and let's say 20 or 30 years ago is 30 years ago, if someone had extreme trauma, it was never brought up. There weren't specialists to help you. There weren't hotlines. Today, there's a political aura of places to go. But the key is not to get overwhelmed, like show choose this or this. Listen to your heart. Be patient and listen to her and find out what works. And if a therapist doesn't work, try another one. It is a process and great advice. Yeah, got to be the thing is you've got to try and be cues to be patient with yourself. Definitely you're going to be very conscious of impatient with yourself good to yourself. Yeah, definitely. In find one person, they always say it takes a village to raise a child. I mean, granted, that's great if you have a village to raise a child, but sometimes it's just one person to help you get the right track, it could be a neighbor, it could be one person, like one person can equally do damage to you. One person can equally do just the opposite. One person, your life can be your support system, to start the journey of healing.

00:12:22.139 --> 00:12:55.379
It's so true. It's such a good point. The thing that bothers me sometimes, though, is if you need a therapist, it's let's like a time when it's really hard to change and shop for therapists, because you're not in a good place, you know, but somehow you have to make yourself until you find that right? That right click, exactly. It's that mix. It truly is. Particularly if someone's in a vulnerable situation, they're not doing well, it's even harder to make a decision. It's very hard. So that's why you got to really be patient about it. And if you screw up, it's okay.

00:12:55.710 --> 00:13:58.529
Yeah, the other thing is, for people who are going through trauma, like Jennifer is, it's really critical to feel all those emotions. And as human beings, no one wants to feel pain, we're programmed to run away from it. You know, we've been existence as humans for 1000s of years. And if you're in the forest, and you hear a rat, bad noise, you're gonna run for it. And we're so wired for that, to avoid pain. And but the thing is, is with emotional pain, if you avoid it, the repercussions are greatly enhanced. You will true, you will, you will an accident will happen you'll get sick things will you trigger in your body. So it's important to deal with the pain, bit by bit by bit. And it's interesting I have in my book, Jennifer is going to read you she does forgiveness. If I could read you a passage in the book, please do. Yeah. Okay. So in this, this is the one where the bow tie.

00:13:54.120 --> 00:14:04.080
And what's really cool is with my books, is they the illustrators from South Africa.

00:14:04.080 --> 00:14:17.580
So we go back and forth with our ideas. And in the beginning, when I showed her and the idea, the hands, I said you got to make the hands more creepy, more like, like a hard fist. And so you know, she did a great job.

00:14:15.090 --> 00:14:39.480
And she also did the one with the 16 men and those are all portraits of the men of the book. So but to get back to the bow tie is that Jennifer one of her she like I said she believes in forgiveness work, whereas Alicia in the book in the card shop does not. But it wasn't an easy thing. I mean, she'd spent years thinking about it. You can't do that easily, right?

00:14:39.720 --> 00:15:10.500
No, so this is toward the end and she is on a road trip. She's going from Massachusetts back to Portland, Maine. Here it is. It was golden hour is Jennifer back in Portland parked her car near grassy spot overlooking the Atlantic. She spread out her favorite blue blanket in open tour. craft box. Inside were dozens of origami swans she made from the unveiled forgiveness letters that she had written to her father, uncle and mother.

00:15:11.159 --> 00:15:14.669
There was also one paper boat in which she placed the bow tie.

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The tide was going out as she walked down to the ocean with their box of swans. She stood knee deep in the water in gazed at the brilliant blue horizon.

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She thought about what a peaceful evening it was, and she felt grateful. She thought about how far she had come, and how thankful she was to be alive.

00:15:38.039 --> 00:16:34.500
gazing down at her box of paper swans, she remembered the day now years in the past, when she made them with their students, telling the kids never to forget how much they mattered. At last, she was learning to listen to herself. Tears spilt down scuze me tears spilled down Jennifer's face, so she dropped the birds in the water. One by one, the boat containing the bowtie fall blast, she gave it a little push. Jennifer watched her pain, transformed into art float toward the horizon. Taking a deep, shuddering breath, she inhaled the salty, salty ocean air, and her face broke involuntarily into a smile, a real smile full of joy and peace, for no one but herself in the vast, open ocean.

00:16:36.120 --> 00:16:38.970
That's so beautiful. What a moment of closure.

00:16:39.480 --> 00:16:43.919
Well, it's her forgiveness work and all her work that she's done. Amazing.

00:16:43.980 --> 00:16:53.850
I love the physicality of it, that she made those paper swans and she made the boat and then you can picture the bowtie, just, she's letting it go.

00:16:54.120 --> 00:17:02.759
And the thing is, is she made origami swans when she was a teacher with their kids, and she had a mobile in the classroom.

00:17:02.820 --> 00:17:29.099
And she had each of the students swans with their name on and she said, at the end of the year, you can take the swans home with you. And during the year, you can look up and see see yourself in the swan. So she gave this hope and inspiration for her students. But she didn't listen to it for herself at that time and give it to herself. Yeah, that's hard. It's hard. But you do you have to find a way to give yourself love. Right.

00:17:29.130 --> 00:17:39.240
And I think that's the whole thing is in life, it's like we've got to return to our heart. That's really what it is.

00:17:39.480 --> 00:18:19.680
You've got to listen to our heart and return to it. And the more that I'm on a wellness journey, the more I really take time to listen to my heart, because that's where the answers are. That's where I get my inspiration. That's where I get my god moments is being quiet and listening to my heart. It's incredible. The direction in the answers I get, the more that you do it. I can feel it in you, you know, the more that you do it, the more contentment is accessible, you know, it becomes almost like a muscle right that you're exercising. Yes. And I can feel it in you. There's the contentment. Yeah, it's so lovely.

00:18:20.190 --> 00:19:10.259
Thank you. So I just, I think with these books was was so nice about it. It was a healing journey for me. But I think after COVID In what we're going through now in the in the situation was some of the wars in the world and in the trauma that has gone on in. It's so sad. It really shatters me when I think about it, but is that these books show that life doesn't have to be live and always with trauma. If you have it, there are answers there are grades. And so that's what I really like is that I show you the process the step by step of how Jennifer heals. And the times she doesn't. The time she breaks down. It's like, when is this chick gonna get her shit together?

00:19:11.640 --> 00:19:15.569
It's a bumpy road, right? It's not a straight, straight line.

00:19:15.628 --> 00:19:41.128
And I said, I wasn't gonna say the S word but it's like a well, but you know, it's just like sometimes that's okay. Yeah, it's sometimes she doesn't and it's like when is she gonna get her act together? It takes time you know? That's real life you're showing real life yeah, that's that's the thing is when you see a lot with trauma now or just situations with people's what they do in movies or books.

00:19:38.098 --> 00:19:55.499
They'll show the beginning like Oh, weird happened. And then they'll show the end like 2010 years later fights Oh, the person's either maybe an addict or they're not doing well or they're doing well but you don't see the in between. And that's where my book is very different.

00:19:55.499 --> 00:20:15.298
It shows the process it so it's very real. Oh, And you're really going along with growing with Jennifer. And you can say like, oh, okay, that's something that is not at all part of me, or, yes, there's a part of me that's like that, and I want to change.

00:20:16.229 --> 00:20:22.740
It's such a great way to teach people to tell a great story. That's like the way people learn.

00:20:19.589 --> 00:21:01.259
That's why I have the story, human love stories. And we learned so much that way when someone tells us about their experiences, and that's what you're doing, you're sharing, like, you're inviting the reader to really understand the process. You're reminding me of this really funny comic that was going around the social media where it was a line drawing, like a pencil drawing, and it said, you know, your plan and there's like, a straight line, you know, and then, you know, from from you to your goal, right, and then actual life and there's like, the line is like squiggles and it goes all over the place. And it doesn't eventually does get to the goal.

00:20:57.900 --> 00:21:04.079
But it's like a crazy doodling squirrely. It's much more like that, you know?

00:21:04.378 --> 00:21:06.328
That's, that's Jennifer's journey. Yep.

00:21:08.578 --> 00:21:13.558
I always laugh It's like, I'm the thing on the right. You know, it's like, my life is on the right. I don't have that.

00:21:14.220 --> 00:21:26.460
Kind of Yeah. And so, and what's good with this year, you know, I'm going to be turning 65 In a few weeks, and I'm just like, kind of hitting my stride. So I'm really pretty excited. You know?

00:21:26.910 --> 00:21:30.000
It's so great. Um, yeah, I'm 66.

00:21:26.910 --> 00:21:46.440
And a few weeks. When's your birthday? March 29. March 6, oh, my God. So cool. So yeah, you know, so I'm hitting my stride. I'm gonna probably do a thriller down the road, but I'm not sure I'm just trying to market the book. But oh, yeah.

00:21:41.730 --> 00:22:02.339
I'm just enjoying myself playing pickleball. And I'm reading a lot. And, you know, I just want to get the book out there. And I feel that people people read it, you know, really are like, Oh, my God, they're really kind of like, blown away. You know, kind of like you're touching people.

00:22:02.368 --> 00:22:06.959
Yeah. You don't expect to. And all that research paid off girl.

00:22:07.318 --> 00:22:18.990
Oh, it did. I mean, I really did a lot of research on different themes, because I wanted to get inside.

00:22:13.109 --> 00:22:29.309
Yeah, perpetrators had I wanted really, and documentaries. And I really, I got inside their head, you know, and it was real hard.

00:22:24.359 --> 00:22:52.109
That's not fun. Fun. No. So I really did my research. And, you know, you can see snippets in the book. And for those, oh, I want to mention is for those who are Canadians, probably a lot more than maybe in Americans, but maybe not. But one of the chapters takes place in Canada, she crosses over from the Midwest, into In she goes into Ontario, and then into Montreal.

00:22:48.569 --> 00:23:47.069
And actually, that's one of my favorite chapters, she deals she travels across with the sky, who, you know, the expression, you can't judge a book by its cover, which we still blocked him to do is this guy was kind of grungy, and you know, she was reluctant to take this road trip with them. But she was desperate because her rides cancelled out at the last moment they wanted to believe. And she was really locked in. And But slowly, but slowly, she trusted him. And this guy was actually a really spiritual, cool dude, who opened up spirituality to her. And it was a totally platonic road trip with them. And she just opened up herself because she trusted him at the end, you know, toward the end, and it was just, it's really cool. And they get stopped by the cops, but they don't go into that. Because the cops judge them bias cover.

00:23:48.269 --> 00:24:09.868
Yeah, that happens. Yeah, that's a really good point. Yeah. So you get in trouble. But they get out. But anyway, that's my favorite place. And she drops him off in Montreal, because he's going to McGill. And he's wants to polish up on his French. And she leaves. And she never sees him again. But he touched her life. Oh, my gosh.

00:24:05.398 --> 00:24:40.679
So I guess the other thing is, with the moments in time, 16 min is that people go oh 16 men and is that in our life? We are touched by so many people. And you can be on a plane for three hours and have a great conversation with someone and that person touches you in a emotional way that as impact maybe not immediately, but could be three years down the road.

00:24:36.328 --> 00:24:44.278
But they had a beautiful, he had beautiful interaction with them.

00:24:40.679 --> 00:25:07.259
And that's what this is about with the 16 Minute snippets of Jennifer's life, where she might have spent like she did with Leo, you know, I think it was a three day road trip or life. You know, very long term relationships, but it's people that you encounter Good, bad and ugly, they have an effect on you as they did in this book with Jennifer.

00:25:08.670 --> 00:25:17.039
I love that there are those people you sit next to someone you have an amazing conversation. And you never see them again, like on a flight.

00:25:14.190 --> 00:25:45.809
Yeah. And yeah, somehow you dispense the niceties. And you go right to some people, right heavy duty conversation. And I've learned things from people and carried those lessons. And I don't even know them. But yeah, there's like, actually, a friend of mine had a really interesting thing. I've been thinking about how she said this to me, because I had one night when I had to go shopping. Late at night, I was helping my friends with an expo like a big show that they do like when when Green was new.

00:25:41.250 --> 00:26:29.369
When being, you know, Green was cool. I mean, it's still kind of cool, but it was new. And so we had this big show. And I had to go get supplies for the next day. And I was really tired. And I had been exposed to all these great people. And it had been a wonderful day. And I started seeing, it's hard to explain, but I just saw people like, I just saw people differently that night, me because I was relaxed, I was tired. I just saw people as just really beautiful pieces of a whole I began to feel just this beautiful feeling. And when I got to the register. I remember the person checking me out said something like amazing, like something simple like that you would say to someone, but it was just what I needed to hear.

00:26:29.400 --> 00:26:40.500
It was something like, I know, she asked me like, Oh, you're out late. And I said, Yeah, I'm getting stuff for a show we're doing tomorrow, it's going really well. And she said, You're gonna do great with it.

00:26:37.440 --> 00:26:52.440
Like she just said like that out of nowhere, you know? And I just looked at her and my friend said, when people say things like that to you. It's God speaking through that person.

00:26:48.630 --> 00:27:07.799
Yes, yeah. And I was like, Whoa, but it just rang true, that sometimes people tell you, they're there as messengers to tell you what you need to hear or encourage you. And when I look at it that way, that we're all connected that way. I feel better about the world. You know, one thing, right?

00:27:08.640 --> 00:27:22.470
Leah was there to definitely connect with her. Yeah, that's what it reminded me of. Yep. He was there. And he comes up later in the book. She we, she remember, she starts meditating.

00:27:22.470 --> 00:27:32.369
She thinks Leo was the one who first taught me about meditation. And that was, you know, years later, she Yes, lovely soul. Leo.

00:27:33.450 --> 00:27:39.299
That's so cool that you're able to show that because we are we're all interconnected. And I'm thinking about that movie.

00:27:39.299 --> 00:28:00.450
It's a Wonderful Life. I just love that movie. And I just love how it shows that if you weren't here, if you were never born, there'd be so many things that would be different. And so many people, maybe even some people that his brother wouldn't have been alive. He saved his brother's life when they were young. And I don't think we think about that enough. how interconnected we all are.

00:28:00.868 --> 00:28:58.828
Yes, yeah, we really are. Um, I think with technology, it in one hand, it brings us together like this type of podcast, which is really cool. On the other hand, it really divides us. And it really can. So I think we really, there's that whole, you know, we're so together and yet we're so different. It's it's a ying yang. Much of I always say young, incorrectly, I think again, yeah. But we really, I truly believe we're all God's children, whatever religion you're in, and I know, people in so many faiths, you know, atheists, Roman Catholic, Jewish, Unitarian, Episcopalians, Buddhists, you know, and the people that I am close to, regardless of the religion, a lot of us really feel that we are, you know, God's children. We're all one.

00:28:53.098 --> 00:29:38.128
And if I feel if more people saw our interconnectedness, yes, and really spent a little bit more time being in the present, yeah, our world would be much more softer, it would be your most. I think what's happened is we're going more on autopilot, and more. Oh, we're not, we're not slowing down. We're on autopilot. We're not in the present. We're either in the past or the future, and reacting, right? We're just reacting. Right? That's exactly it. We are a world of reactors in particular in the US. And I feel that we need to change that.

00:29:38.519 --> 00:29:46.079
Yeah, we do. But it's an illusion, right? That we're separate. We're not separate.

00:29:42.569 --> 00:30:02.549
No, but fear makes us feel separate. So yeah, the love we have to have a love for ourselves and when you love yourself, you can love others more easily and feel that connection and not be afraid not be so afraid. But it's hard not to be afraid in the world lately. I mean, Instant you really have to work on it and trade?

00:30:02.548 --> 00:30:27.809
Well, you know, the thing is, is it's important for me to know what's going on. But what I do is I will limit it. Yeah, that's so smart. So I don't watch the news because the sun, it's too sensational for me. But look simple. I'll read maybe two or three newspapers, I read it online. And what I do is I, you know, just read the whatever's going on, and maybe the Middle East are so smart. It's great.

00:30:27.808 --> 00:30:51.719
Yeah. And so I get the capsule, you know, the nut, the bulk of it, and I don't let it affect me. And if it starts to I said, Well, you need to shut down, you need to smart newspaper, you know, the site down and go to another time. So it's, I tried to be informed but not drained, drained by I think people are really drained by the news. And it's right get like that. Yeah, I have to put like a limit.

00:30:51.749 --> 00:31:23.368
Because I asked myself one night like, yeah, you know, all this, but what can you possibly do about it? So it's like, this is ongoing helplessness. And there's nothing you can do about it. I mean, you have to know about it, but not in excruciating detail. And really, you can just, if you believe in prayer, you can pray for people, but you can't help someone on the other side of the world. I mean, if there's a, you know, if there's some kind of fun you can give to, that's great. But I think hearing too much is only going to upset us for No, no good outcome.

00:31:23.909 --> 00:31:39.659
And I think the key to have a better world, I think it really starts with the individual. So the better is an object, I take care of myself and better decisions I make. If I'm accountable as a human being.

00:31:35.999 --> 00:32:27.479
And again, as human beings, we're going to screw up, that's part of the process. But generally speaking, if I'm more or less accountable for my actions, then I'm going to treat myself better. And that means I'm going to treat my neighbor better in the person next to the my neighbor. And it really boils down to is, the more people that are held accountable and treat themselves, well, then there's going to be more peace in the world. But when people aren't held accountable, and they just do all sorts of things that, you know, oh, what doesn't matter, it does matter. So it really, really starts with loving and being kind to yourself and being accountable. And that way, you're much more present. You know, you make the world a better place.

00:32:27.869 --> 00:32:37.380
And then you're affecting your small circle, people will be affected by you have the energy that you put out. And it really does happen that way. Although sometimes it feels slow, right?

00:32:37.650 --> 00:32:43.829
Yes, around. But it's such a good message to get out there. I feel like you should write a self help book too.

00:32:44.459 --> 00:32:51.450
I my self help book is in my books. It's pulled it into your story. You really do get it? Yeah, yeah.

00:32:51.539 --> 00:33:46.169
And, you know, it's, it's, I'm going to be 65 I feel like wow, I would have never thought that I would be where I am. Now. I thought my luck would be very different. And firing, it's Yeah, more we share this kind of thing that people, you know, people are doing what they're doing. I told you about my friend who's 81. And she's zooming. I mean, you just, it's wonderful. There's no age limit, right? We, I would go even farther because I took this podcasting class, and it was a lot about mindset about sharing your gifts. And I would say that you owe it to the world to find out who you are and what you really should be doing. Because you were put here with these very unique gifts, right? And you if you don't share them, that's not very nice. Like you should be, you should be your authentic self sharing what you have. And once she put it that way, I was like, Well, okay, you know, hoping to dry that.

00:33:46.890 --> 00:34:03.209
That's exactly true. You know, you're not helping anyone hiding under a bushel. I always think of that song from Sunday school, hide, you know, hide it under a bushel, like this little light of mine. I got that song in my head when I took the course and you really are not helping anyone being being shy.

00:34:03.720 --> 00:34:20.489
Yes, we all want it's, it's real important to find your gifts, and it doesn't matter if you find them later in life. Just discover who you are as a person. You might have not have the support to find who you are.

00:34:15.599 --> 00:34:29.280
But it just takes a little time and a little nudging in listening to your heart and really fall. Who you are in your truth of what you love to do.

00:34:30.000 --> 00:34:32.340
And he will come to you who really well.

00:34:32.940 --> 00:34:45.719
That's great advice. Is there anything else that you want to share that we didn't cover? Um, let's see. Oh, what two things one is? Oh, I'd say two things.

00:34:45.750 --> 00:35:01.019
Okay. When I was meditating, I got this and I put this in the beginning of the book. Let go with the past it no longer belongs to by Susan Glenny.

00:34:56.400 --> 00:35:26.610
That's me. It concern. And then a percentage of each book sold goes to the New Horizons, domestic violence services in this wonderful town of Connecticut. And then I just want to end with Oh, and then if you want to get my books, I'd love that. You can go to Susan Glenny forward slash homeschool Susan glenny.com/newsletter. And you can get my stuff on Amazon.

00:35:23.730 --> 00:35:31.079
But good. And is there a way to get?

00:35:26.670 --> 00:35:32.280
What's your website? That's a good way to get in touch with you. Right?

00:35:32.309 --> 00:35:35.429
Oh, you can just go to Susan glenny.com. That's your website.

00:35:35.670 --> 00:35:36.570
You can go there.

00:35:36.960 --> 00:35:41.070
And I noticed you have an Instagram too. Oh, thank you Instagram.

00:35:41.099 --> 00:35:49.590
I'm on tick tock. And Facebook group and Facebook. Yeah. And was well put all this in the show notes.

00:35:47.280 --> 00:35:51.179
But I like to say it out loud in case people don't read them.

00:35:49.590 --> 00:36:13.559
Yeah, yeah. Thank you so much. And I've just enjoyed myself so much being on the show love talking to you. It's so easy to talk to you and I love I love that you found what you're supposed to do, but that you know, you're also helping others. Because the books the books are definitely going to help others. Absolutely. So basically, Susan, you're the bomb.

00:36:15.000 --> 00:36:17.369
Yeah, that's great. I love that.

00:36:18.090 --> 00:36:19.050
I love that too.

00:36:19.469 --> 00:36:20.670
Thank you so much, Lynn.