Wars and Lols

I drove to the local Starbucks this morning after finishing a successful yoga session. I sat savouring a latte while sinking wilfully into the ease I had manifested earlier. As I allowed my mind to wander, my gaze moved from one end of the store and around the room until I paused at a display directly in front of me. I read the sign, “up to 80% off”. “Ummmm, that’s a good deal” I thought. I’m always up for a bargain, so I looked down at the table and scanned the covers on the books on display. Oh my, I couldn’t help but truly Lol!! I read each title one by one and quickly assessed the reason the books were so highly discounted.

“Hitler vs. Stalin”, “Deceiving Hitler”, “Battles of the Bible”, and “Deathride” were just some of the titles. Although, I am not personally drawn to such topics, I do recognize an interest of some in the history of past wars. If I were to pick up one of these books, I would be motivated to read it should the story evolve around the psyche of the leaders of such hate and destruction. And this is what moved me to stay in my seat and contemplate the reason the table was full and no one was stopping at the “80% off” sign.



There is a calling in the world today, for people to bring authenticity, strength of character, self-awareness and ethics, and emotional intelligence to their way of being. They are called, Authentic Leaders as they move through each day with one goal in mind; living their lives in line with their values and beliefs. Perhaps this display is an example of the sub-conscience and conscience way that being guided by intuition and compassion is becoming more prevalent. It is contagious and yet some are slightly fearful as it is a new way of thinking, “the new normal” as some call it.

The fact that all of these books rest on an “80% off” table, and, I was told later by a clerk, have been there for over a month with no movement, indicates that people are not drawn to control, violence, and destruction, but are rather, seeking love, empathy and a life filled with simplicity and ease. There really is a “dark side” and a “light side”, and each one of us has the ability and the freedom to choose which side we are more comfortable being on.

I post these photos on my blog with trepidation as it feels like blasphemy. However, they serve a purpose to make a point. I tried to think of a term to describe this type of humour or revelation, and could only think of the cartoonist Gary Larson’s “Far Side” as an example of this type of sense of humour. It is like its real, but how could that be in a world filled with such beauty and wonder? And yet, war and hatred did take place and does happen today, much to our dismay.

As I work more and more in the schools and reach out to young girls, I feel of sense of yearning for this new way of thinking and feeling. They can’t describe it, but they know they want it. They know it is where they want to be or go. They know this because it is really not that new to them; it is very natural and deep within them, and waiting to be released. They have only been influenced by the inauthentic for a short period of time. There is still a glimmer of authentic light flickering in them. Hang on to that light girls!!! It is o.k. to have fun. It is o.k. to act the way you feel. It is o.k. to “be” the way your first thought told you to be when you woke up this morning.

I wonder how long the books will remain on the “80% off” display before they are packed away in a box in the back room. I also wonder what will replace them on that discount table, or if the sign with be thrown in the box with the discarded books.

My latte is done, and I walk past the books with a smile on my face. Lols!!