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January is off to a great start at Peachtree City Library, and for me personally. Last Friday, the Friends of the Peachtree City Library hosted New York Times bestselling author Paula McLain at Crowne Plaza Peachtree City. It was pure luck on our end that several months back we’d agreed to host her, not knowing in advance that the book she is currently promoting, Skylark, would be selected as Good Morning America’s Book Club pick for January. As a fan of McLain’s work, I was looking forward to her appearance. Then on Tuesday, not long after the GMA announcement, I was notified that she needed a stand-in moderator for our Friday night event—me!
If you know me, you know I LOVE to talk about books, especially books I love. I’ve led the morning book club at Peachtree City Library for several years, and we usually pick our books a few months in advance. One of the requirements we agreed on a long time ago is that a book has been out for at least a year so that it is available in paperback for those who prefer to purchase the book. Since I knew McLain would be here in January, we selected one of her previous books, When the Stars Go Dark, as our January book club pick. It was at that time that I discovered McLain had also written a memoir called Like Family: Growing Up in Other People’s Houses about her experience growing up in foster care. I read Like Family first, which I highly recommend doing as it gave me additional insight and appreciation for McLain’s work which often involves characters moving through mother issues and abandonment trauma.
All that is to say, it was an absolute thrill to sit and ask her all of my questions in front of an audience. Paula is absolutely lovely in person. Friendly, gracious, and entertaining, she was the perfect guest. Not only was she extraordinarily kind to me, but she was also kind to every person she met at the event. We had a line for pictures with the author before the event started, and Paula patiently listened to each and every person, so much so that I had to politely ask her to keep things moving because the line was backing up.
What a night—I’m still pinching myself!
Design Your Dream Life
My obsession with Sahil Bloom’s The Five Types of Wealth: A Transformative Guide to Design Your Dream Life continues. I’ve been using some of his recommended high-level systems to carve out more personal time to work on a manuscript I’ve been fiddling with for the past ten years or so. After setting up my home office, my intention was to complete the first one hundred pages of my manuscript by the end of 2025, which I did on December 31st and am on track to finish it by April 30th. BAM!
I have a group of Five Type of Wealth devotees that meets at Peachtree City Library on the third Thursday of each month at 2 p.m. We use our time to discuss the areas of our lives we’re working on and to hold ourselves, and each other, accountable. Just seeing that monthly date on my calendar keeps me honest. There is no sign-up requirement to join our group. Just show up with a curious mind and a desire to discover your path to a more fulfilling and meaningful life.
The People’s Law School
In other library news, Fayette County State Court judge Jason B. Thompson has brought his popular program, The People’s Law School, to Peachtree City Library. This guy is so hardworking—he is literally everywhere. Now, on Tuesday nights in January, he is at Peachtree City Library introducing guest speakers on various law topics including insurance and tort law, consumer fraud and scams, family law, and disability law. Judge Thompson will return in April for another round of workshops. Stay tuned for registration info!
Who Moved My Cheese?
Peachtree City Library is getting a facelift this month with a new coat of paint! Every day I come to work, a new section of the library is blocked off for painting. The daily shuffle is unnerving for me, but it’s necessary, and—sometimes it’s good to be a little uncomfortable, right? Change presents us with an opportunity to look at things differently, to reconsider our daily routines, and to adapt.
I’m here for it. Are you?
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