Authorpreneur Dashboard – Tony Garcia
Secrets, Truths, & Whispers
Self-Help
We go through this life doing our best to uncover the secrets to happiness and success. We go through this life searching for the truths that will lead us toward peace and self-fulfillment. We go through this life hoping to quiet the noise long enough to hear the whispers from our heart. In Secrets, Truths, & Whispers: Lessons from a Good, Hard Life, Tony Garcia helps bring those secrets and truths and whispers into the light. In this 366-day collection of poems, stories, prayers, and hopes, readers begin to learn how to overcome the obstacles, fears, and struggles that confront them in everyday life. Each daily passage provides an opportunity to reflect on your journey. Garcia looks to provide readers with tools, inspiration, and hope to live their best life.
Book Bubbles from Secrets, Truths, & Whispers
Amid the Missing
I miss my mom. I miss my mom, everyday. What frightens me most about missing her, is that as I stay stuck in that place of sadness and tears and wishing for another day with her, I lose sight of the beautiful life she lived. Grief has found a way to narrow my vision. It only allows me to see that she is gone. It only allows me to focus on the grief itself. And so, as another day passes without her, I am working to look past the grief and simply remember. Remember all the things I loved about her and all the things that mattered most. As I recall her, her life, and her love, the missing is not as great. And, I can find a chance to smile, and a reason to celebrate a life once beautifully lived. ~G
I Just Care More
It is not that I am not interested. I just care more. ~G
Gifts I Wish for You
As we quickly approach Christmas and I once again fall victim to the last minute frenzy of buying gifts, I stop to think about the gifts that I really want to give to you. Gifts that do not come with pretty wrapping, bows, return policies, warranties, or expiration dates. Gifts that will truly make a difference in your life, well after the holidays have passed. But then I realize, only you can gift these to yourself. And so, I am left to simply wish these gifts for you. Courage. Grace. Permission. Faith. Space. Discipline. Peace. Love. ~G
On Counting
I wonder how many things we get stuck counting. As a writer, I often get stuck counting pages written, copies sold, days until the deadline. As a runner, I often get stuck counting miles or races run, medals earned, my aches and pains. As a teacher, I often get stuck counting assignments left to grade, emails left to write, days until the next break. I wonder how many things we get stuck counting that do not really count. And so, I made a change in my habits. I began counting what really counts. Suddenly, I was no longer stuck. ~G
Allow Yourself
I finally came to realize something about this life I am living. Life was simply waiting for me to allow myself the gifts it holds. That is all. It kept nothing from me. It hid nothing from me. It was simply waiting for me to grant myself permission. And once I did, everything changed. So now the question must be asked, "When will you finally allow yourself?" Your life is simply waiting. ~G
Dear Mom
As I prepare, for the first time, to face the holidays without my mom, I pause to reflect on who she was in my life and what she meant to me. I pause to consider just how unaware of her own magic and strength and light she was. I pause to simply be grateful for the time spent with her, the lessons she instilled in me, and the memories that remain of her. I miss you mom. Thanksgiving will not be the same without you. But I will pause to give thanks that you passed through me.I love you mom. ~Your Boy.
Be a Good Person
No great insights here. What the world needs now is simply more good people. And goodness is found in the many, small daily acts we are all capable of committing to. We have truly lost our way. And the only way to get back home is to start from the beginning. Start with all the things we learned as children about how to treat our family, neighbors, friends, and strangers along the way. It is simple. Be a good person. ~G
Take a Break
In our attempt to be all and to do all, rarely do we ever give ourselves permission to simply take a break. The end result, we often end up feeling broken. Why? We can only hold so much before something must give. It is the truth. We are not superhuman. And, we do not need to be. The problem is we have been conditioned to believe we must be. So taking a break feels like a weakness, or worse, like a failure. We must begin to understand that it is okay, and necessary, to take a break. It is a component needed for complete health. It's okay to take a break from all the things that break you. ~G
We Can
I think we tend to underestimate our impact on those around us. I think we tend to underestimate our ability to impart change upon the world around us. I think we tend to underestimate our responsibility to our neighbors. I think we need to be more cognizant of this tremendous power and responsibility. We are seeing the effects all around us of a "me first" approach. The divisiveness, the mistrust, the them against us mentality has become so pervasive. I think it is time we rethink our priorities. I think. We can. We can extend an amazing grace. It is in the forgiving that we heal. ~G
I Miss You
And it felt like missing someone. I wrote this piece long before my mom passed away. I was trying to put into words how it feels to miss someone in that wakeful period between nightfall and the breaking dawn. But now the words have come home to me. I miss you. In the nothingness. That is the silence. That is the darkness. That is 3 a.m. It is not to say I do not miss her throughout the day. There is just so much movement and noise and hurry, that I do not permit myself to give into the missing. I cannot afford to. But when the world calms and I am not afforded sleep, the missing comes crashing in. But there is also a comfort to be found. I miss you. In the because. Because I loved you. ~G
Come, know me
I think this is an important piece, especially given our current times. We cannot ever truly know what another is facing. Their obstacles, their fears, their demons. Each one of us sits with our own brand of darkness. Each one of us possesses a singular and unique breaking point. Given that, I believe how we approach another human being, is absolutely vital to their survival. Kindness, light, love, and grace. Now, more than ever, may this be how we enter one another's space. May it be how we treat all those we encounter along the way. ~G
I Just Care More
Perhaps it is a blessing or perhaps a curse, but there is much I am not interested in. I just do not care for the shallows of a person. Idle chatter. Minutiae. Noise. I care more about the depths of a person. What they yearn for. What it is that they cling to. What defines them. For it is those things that truly connect us. It is those things which define the human experience. And it is those things I am drawn to. That I seek. Because I care. ~G
Just for You
I believe in the power of the spoken word. And few words hold as much power as the words we speak to and about ourselves. But this goes deeper than simply repeating positive mantras. It is about truly believing in the words you use to define yourself. I can. I will. I am. These are not throw away phrases. They are the building blocks of self-esteem; they are how we construct our path. They hold the power to move us beyond fears, obstacles, challenges. I encourage you to establish your I statements. Begin from a place of belief. What do you most trust about yourself? Begin from an end point. Where do you want to be? Begin from an honest place. What are you truly willing to do? Give it a try. ~G
I wish for you a quiet
We listen to so much white noise, both internal and external. It is no wonder we are unable to hear the truthful and healing messages the universe has for us. So today, I simply wish for you a quiet. A quiet that allows you to slow your racing mind, to slow your harried pace, to slow the constant chatter that fills your day. The quiet is so very valuable, for it provides the empty space needed to breathe, to reflect, to center yourself. I wish for you a quiet. ~G
The Keys to Happiness
I think we get caught up in this idea that we need to have a major revelation in our life or that we need a magnificent signal sent to us, before the things we are wanting come to fruition. I would suggest that if we would choose instead to simply focus on small, daily practices, major and magnificent things will begin to occur for us. Such is true for happiness. It exists within our commitment to daily gratitudes and healthy practices. When you use these keys, you will unlock a happiness that has been there all along. ~G
