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BOOK: Gmorning, Gnight! Little Pep Talks for Me & You
AUTHOR: Lin-Manuel Miranda
YEAR OF PUBLICATION: 2018
REVIEW:
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Even before everyone knew his name (thanks to Hamilton), Lin-Manuel Miranda had a rather dedicated Twitter following. For years now, he has had a habit of beginning and ending each day with words of encouragement, meant as much for himself as for those reading.
As he explained in the introduction to this slim and inspirational volume:
I wanted to wish you good morning.
I wanted to wish you good night.
I started to write these on Twitter.
A way of just being polite.
I’m really quite hooked on the Twitter.
They should take my phone out and lock it.
The biggest distraction for someone like me?
An audience up in my pocket.
So I start the day with a greeting.
And end with a night variation.
It safeguards my evenings and weekends at home,
To sign-off, a mini vacation.
He goes on:
I don’t have a book of quotations
Or wisdom I pull from the shelf;
Most often the greetings I wish you
Are the greetings I wish for myself.
So if I write “relax,” then I’m nervous,
Or if I write, “cheer up,” then I’m blue.
I’m writing what I wish somebody would say,
Then switching the pronoun to you.
And after a few years of greetings
They started to vary in tone;
And people said, “Lin, your gmornings and nights
Are the nicest things up in my phone.”
Now I get tweets like, “This saved me”
Or often, “I need this reminder.”
You tell me, “I printed this out and I keep it
Around, on my desk, in my binder.”
He concluded with:
And it’s nice to have things to hold on to,
Some kindness right here, within sight.
You can read this whenever you want to.
It will be here. Gmorning. Gnight.
What follows is a lovely collection of paired greetings, with illustrations (charming line drawings) by Jonny Son. Small bits of positivity and inspiration for mornings, nights, or any other time. Like this one:
Good morning.
Your very presence is intoxicating.
Good night.
Your very absence is sobering.
Or this one:
Good morning!
You are the bees’ knees!
The lambs’ gams!
The calves’ calves!
Bethenny Frankel’s ankles!
Invent new idioms!
Let’s go!
Good night!
You’re the cream in my coffee!
The sugar in my bowl!
The absinthe in my cocktail!
The syrup in my Slurpee!
Tasty dreams, let’s go!
Or this:
Good morning.
You are stunning.
Use your power wisely.
Good night.
You are stunning.
Lay down your burdens.
You get the idea. You can read this all in one gulp, or pace yourself with daily affirmations, or just dip into it at random for some kindness when you need it. It makes a terrific graduation present, birthday present, or random pick-me-up for anyone who could use it. Which is anyone.
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RATING (one to five whistles, with five being the best): 3 Whistles
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HOW TO PURCHASE: Amazon
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Laura LaVelle is an attorney and writer who lives in Connecticut, in a 100-year-old house, along with her husband, two daughters, and a cockatiel.
Laura can be contacted at laura@newswhistle.com
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Book Cover Courtesy of Penguin Random House
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