Don't Miss Your Life!

I'm taking a moment here to publicly celebrate the publication of my 13th book: Don't Miss Your Life!: An Uncommon Guide to Living with Freedom, Laughter and Grace. I am grateful, ecstatic, excited and hopeful the book will find its way into the hands of those who most need a boost, an encouragement and a laugh. Early reader feedback is FIVE STAR! (Click on above link to the Amazon site to see for yourself.)

An excerpt from the Publisher's Weekly review said readers are, "... treated to poignant essays on the power of imagination, the importance of questioning assumptions, awakening every sense, living in a balanced way or falling with a splat. Baumbich’s text is just what the doctor ordered for a time such as this; laughter is good medicine indeed and there are plenty of guffaws to be found on every page.

Yesterday I learned that Don't Miss Your Life! hit #5 on the Chicagoland Indie Bestseller list for trade paperback nonfiction for the week ending June 7--and it just released June 2!

So, if you're looking for the three Ls in a good travel book (light-weight [as in weighs little], laughter laden, lifting to the spirit) for your next trip, pick up a copy. Even though the cover features ladies legs and twirly skirts, Publisher's Weekly also pointed out, "The author’s comic rehashing of life’s more ironic and bizarre happenings will be valued by readers of both genders."

YAY!

To learn more about my writing and speaking, visit my website.

Expect the unexpected

This I know to be true about travel: one must expect the unexpected. To "celebrate" this truthism, I herewith submit my "favorite" list of things to unexpect when traveling:

• sleep (how to "make" it happen?)
  
• favorable conditions (both with your body and travel schedules)
• no road work (is there a reason the roads can't be as indestructible as black boxes?)
  
• removal of tolls (I live in Illinois. Hear my prayer.)
  
• easy segues from one side of a security checkpoint to the next (honestly, if it's not the person in front of me causing the problem, it's me!)
  
• weather that does not impede plans (why don't I just bang my had against the wall?)
  
• short lines for anything (especially restrooms)
  
• toilet paper holders in restrooms smaller than a grocery cart (can they put them higher up the wall so they're not causing us to sit sidesaddle?!)
  
• flushing only when you want flushing (showers where you do not want showers)
  
• pricing stability (for better or for worse)
• short productive meetings (sometimes I'll take either)
  
• favorable salt-in-the-food conditions (I hate it when I blow up like a puffer fish)
  
• happy seatmates (I'm sure I've failed at being one)
  
• sanity (defined as ... ???)
  

But sometimes, we do get what we hope for, but do not necessarily "expect." It's always the little things that mean the most:

• a sympathetic, patient, determined ticket agent (YAY!)
  
• a heart-warming and just right bowl of soup with warm bread (Mmmm)
  
• toilet paper (thank goodness)
  
• a magazine that lasts the whole flight (with publishing the way it is, this is a miracle!)
  
• a roadside cafe where you are sincerely welcomed when you walk in the door (bless you)
  
• a just right mattress (my heart beats for Goldilocks)
  
• an air conditioner that doesn't bang when it turns on and off (HAL-LE-LU-JAH!)
  
• a boiled egg in the midst of donuts (protein!)
  
• finding the thing you fret you forgot to pack (celebration!)
  
• fresh brewed iced tea (it's good to be awake when speaking in front of an audience)
  
• an abundance of smiling faces (there is power in a smile)
  
• the perfect hot dog or veggie sandwich (perfect, as in, tasty, available and fast)
  
• a surprise encounter with someone you know (grace)
  
• the determination to make the best of each circumstance (grit)
  

When I truthfully examine each item on any of my traveling lists, above all, the determination to make the best of each circumstance is The Most Important--which is why I travel with a wad of toilet paper in my handbag. Just in case.