Have you ever thought about where you have been? And how you got there? And what your mode of travel was?

As I write this, I’m in beautiful Hawaii. Loving the sun; the gentle breeze that flows across the patio in the afternoon; being with four other girlfriends at our annual giggle and gather; and, of course, sipping my favorite peach ice tea. I’m working on three different manuscripts this week—sending one back to my client on Friday and doing the back cover for another today and getting it off along with writing the various announcements for AuthorU.org that are on my weekly To Do list. And then I stopped and looked at my feet.

Oh, they have their scars to tell. From multiple surgeries, even joint replacements and a rejection of one replacement—now that was an owie for sure. They aren’t model’s feet—in fact, far from it. But, by golly, they are mine … and we have traveled many a mile together. In fact, my feet are miracle workers when I think about them. They have:

• moved me out of scary situations as I escaped from an abusive Ex;
• walked with me and my kids and grandkids untold miles as I carried them as adorable babies calming their tears and cuddling their little bodies as they settled down;
• after arriving in London, they helped me explore England and Scotland as I did research for my book Woman to Woman: From Sabotage to Support and discovered man of the original letters that Mary Queen of Scots and Queen Elizabeth wrote while Mary was imprisoned–deep in the depths of the Mitchell Library in Scotland—so cool;
• run up and down soccer fields as I started the AYSO division for girls in Northern California—even taking them to the state championship;
• gotten me to delightful events and evenings with friends;
• carried me through nerves as I was interviewed on multiple national TV shows for my many books;
• supported me on many platforms as I spoke to over 1000 audiences;
• served as a travel portal, opening new worlds to be discovered;
• taken me to many dozens of countries and all 50 states speaking and connecting with audiences over a 35-year span; and
• been there when all I have wanted to do was just stop and let the world go by.

Since 1990, United Airlines has carried my feet over 2,000,000 miles in the air. And that’s after I started counting. Who knows what Delta, Continental, and American contributed when I was based on the West Coast and I was a Gold flyer on them.

This is an “ode to my feet” … what would I have done without them? Where would I have been if they hadn’t been ready to do their work … and where will they take me next?

Yup, my feet aren’t rock stars in looks, but by golly, they have been the Rock of Gibraltar for me over the years.

How about yours?

Judith Briles is a book publishing expert and coach. She empowers authors and is the Founder of AuthorU.org, a membership organization created for the serious author who wants to be seriously successful. She’s been writing about and conducting workshops on publishing since the ’80s. Judith is the author of 35 books including Author YOU: Creating and Building Your Author and Book Platforms (Foreword IndieFab Book of the Year), Snappy Sassy Salty: Wise Words for Authors and Writers and a speaker at publishing conferences. Book #35 was published in 2016: How to Avoid 101 Book Publishing Blunders, Bloopers & Boo-Boos. Get your copy now.

Each summer, she holds Judith Briles Book Publishing Unplugged, a three-day intensive limited to a small group of authors who want to be seriously successful. In 2017, the dates are June 22-24th.  Her audio and workbook series, Creating Your Book and Author Platform is now available. Join Judith live on Thursdays at 6 p.m. EST for “AuthorU-Your Guide to Book Publishing” on the Toginet Network at bit.ly/PublishingShow.

Follow @AuthorU and @MyBookShepherd on Twitter and do a “Like” at AuthorU, and join the Facebook group Book Publishing with The Book Shepherd. If you want to create a book that has no regrets, contact Judith at Judith@Briles.com.

Author U is a non-profit membership organization dedicated to the author who wants to be seriously successful. Monthly education programs delivered face-to-face and online, The Author Resource ezine, BookCamps, and the annual Author U Extravaganza are tools designed for authors pre-, during and post-publishing of their books. Join AuthorU.org today.

 If you are looking for FREE author and book coaching … call in to Judith’s Author Monday Morningsat NOON Eastern each Monday if you are an AuthorU.org GOLD member. The number is 218-632-9854; Access Code is only availabe to members … have your questions ready–there’s a full hour to ask and listen. Join us.