Fear is something I think about a lot. Anxiety too. It’s something I’ve had to deal with myself and and in support of my loved ones. If you have young children or aging parents, you probably know what I mean. So how do we find a way through fear?
My debut picture book is about overcoming fear and anxiety by using mindfulness and a connection to nature. It will be released in 2024. It’s title: IF A BUMBLEBEE LANDS ON YOUR TOE. I’m so excited for this book to be out in the world and I sincerely hope it will help children and families find a way through the fear. I believe in the power of nature to heal.
When researching comparative titles I found some good books about being brave, like Jabari Jumps by Gaia Cornwall and After the Fall by Dan Santat. Both of those are excellent picture books and I love reading them. There’s so many layers to overcoming anxiety and being brave. The one thing different about my bumblebee book is that it deals with things out of our control. If we want to be brave about climbing up a wall or jumping off a diving board, we can plan for doing those things, think ahead, develop a strategy even. But some things, like the bumblebee, come into our lives and we have ABSOLUTELY ZERO CONTROL over what is going to happen. That’s what my book is about. So much of life is out of our control and we do need to find ways to cope with those stressful events.
The pandemic brought with it fear and anxiety, the threat of contracting COVID when there was so little known about it ruled our lives. It brought us indoors, limiting contact with others. That lack of social contact kept us isolated. And we know fear and anxiety can grow in isolation. Although COVID is less of a threat now, there will always be something to fear. I hope you can find a way through the fear and towards love and healing. I believe the pathway to love is inside all of us.
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