In our lives it is not uncommon to wrestle with our sense of self. We question ourselves, wondering things like “Do other people worry about the same things I do?” or “Will I ever find anyone who truly sees me?”
Our questions can too easily become amplified if our deep desires for acceptance and human connection aren’t met. Reaching out for a soul-to-soul conversation isn’t always simple or comfortable, the risk of laying ourselves open to another person being too high.
In Tiny Beautiful Things, Sugar provides judgment-free advice for her readers. As we prepare to share Sugar’s work with you, we also want to hear your stories. If you have a story of the best advice you’ve ever received or any other time that you’d like to share, please write us a note in the comments below, or send us an email – anonymously or otherwise. We are looking forward to hearing all your beautiful stories!
SuziWhen I had my first baby my Granny said, “Hold that baby all you want. He will never be a baby again.” I did with all three of my babies, and I give that advice to every new mom I meet. I’ve never regretted one moment of it.
Donald JordanMy father taught me to "Just always do the right thing son" And my mother often said "You can be kind longer than other people can be ugly." My parents were kind, loving, compassionate, loving people, and while we had almost no money, I came to realize we were wealthy in other ways that matter.
ImaniMy favorite quote is “Choose again”. One of my high school friends’ saxophone tutor said it to her when he asked why she was berating herself for messing up. “Choose again”, I’ve come to interpret and apply, is a mindfulness practice and a call to be present and active rather than passive in our choices throughout the day. If someone angers you and you have an immediate response to go off on them, take a moment, choose again. If you mess up during a presentation and want to chide yourself, choose again. We don’t get these moments or choices back. The words you speak and the actions you take have long lives. They live within the people who hear, see, and experience them and they also live within ourselves when we choose to critique ourselves for the smallest things and it becomes a habit. “Choose again” challenges us to look at our choices and why we choose them, and I attempt to be mindful and practice it every day.
Adina HertzelMy favorite piece of advice may be this Mary Oliver quote: "You do not have to be good. You do not have to walk on your knees for a hundred miles through the desert repenting. You only have to let the soft animal of your body love what it loves."
Megan SimsOnce while dealing with a particularly difficult situation of hurt and betrayal, I was discussing my anger with a friend. They told me that my anger could be a good thing because it was a sign that I knew I wasn't being treated the way I deserved. I haven't forgotten that, and I've held onto that belief ever since, learning to nurture and honor my anger.
gatu belaOnce a friend of mine borrowed my copy of Richard Brautigan's IN WATERMELON SUGAR. My dad had handed his copy down to me, so the book was of extra-special importance to me. My friend kept the book for so long that I had pretty much written off any hope of ever getting it back. One day, almost a year after borrowing it, my friend dropped it off in my mailbox. Delighted to have it back, I began flipping through the pages, excited to see it again. When I got to the back of the book I shrieked, as my friend had written a note inside: "Most interesting." - Dan Boedecker just like that.