In So Many Words

Getting control of your finances is a common resolution at this time of year, especially for those of us now facing the bills from the holiday season. In 7 Money Rules for Life: How to Take Control of Your Financial Future, Mary Hunt, founder of Debt-Proof Living, offers a common-sense plan for cleaning up a financial mess as well as planning for the future.

Drawing on her own experience, Mary shows how to get out of debt, prioritize where your money is going, and be prepared for the unexpected. Read the rest of my review at 5 Minutes for Books.

Surprised by Oxford: A Memoir
by Carolyn Weber
Thomas Nelson (August 2011)
480 pages

In Surprised by Oxford, Carolyn Weber shares her journey from agnosticism to Christianity. The story takes place over the course of a year and is set against the backdrop of time spent in graduate study at Oxford University in England, far from her home in Canada.

From the prologue, we learn that Carolyn had encountered one evangelical Christian professor during her undergraduate studies. She recounts a conversation she had with him after turning in a paper in which she completely missed the point of a poem by John Dunne, and this seems to be the beginning of her thoughts turning towards God:

The truth is in the paradox… Anything not done in submission to God, anything not done to the glory of God, is doomed to failure, frailty, and futility. This is the unholy trinity we humans fear most. And we should, for we entertain it all the time at the pain and expense of not knowing the real one.

The book itself is laid out chronologically, with chapters for each of the terms of the Oxford school calendar. Throughout the course of the year, we are introduced to a wide variety of people – both professors and other students – ranging all the way from atheists to committed Christians.

As time progresses and Carolyn moves farther along her journey, we see her begin to examine everything that happens as a potential sign from God. She even talks about this in relation to actual road signs, after getting lost on a day trip to Stonehenge shortly after arriving at Oxford, and going around in circles trying to figure out what direction to go:

It is easy to coast and even easier to mock the signs, but reading them, really reading them, and then making the largest decision there is, the greatest decision to which all others defer and are tied back to—to know who we are, what we stand for, and for what we are responsible—to read the signs and then choose the right way… well, that’s hard.

There are so many fascinating and beautiful passages in this book, and I was entranced by her description of the moment when she crossed her last internal barrier and took the leap of faith:

It was then that I began to breathe more deeply.
To breathe Him in, and the breathe me out.
And then, I began, every so slowly, to transform.
I did not have to carry everything on my shoulders. I did not have to be everything to everyone. I did not have to know all the answers. Could it be that sometimes glorifying God involves negatives?

There were moments when I would have almost said this book is pretentious, except that the author is so earnest in her exploration of all aspects of faith and the impact it would have on her life. I think it’s more that it reflects the intensity of that time in your life when you are realizing how important the question of God’s existence really is and are grappling with who you will be when you grow up.

And I think we can all take note of the suggestion given to Carolyn by the widow of the undergraduate professor who had started her on the journey, in a letter written after Carolyn shared her new faith and asked for advice:

Oh yes, and have patience—with others, with God, and most importantly, with yourself. For it is by degrees that we truly learn that God is with us always.

So true.

Note: This is Book #109 of my 2011 Reads (master list here). I received a review copy for free from BookSneeze.com, and all opinions and comments are my own.

Asperger’s From the Inside Out: A Supportive and Practical Guide for Anyone with Asperger’s Syndrome
by Michael John Carley
Perigee (2008)
250 pages

Asperger’s From the Inside Out was written by Michael John Carley, who was diagnosed with Asperger’s shortly after his son was given a diagnosis. He has since become involved in helping others with AS and is the Executive Director of GRASP, which is the Global and Regional Asperger Syndrome Partnership.

The opening chapters cover some background information on Asperger’s Syndrome, as well as Carley’s own experience being diagnosed and then examining his past through that filter. The book also brings out the issues surrounding disclosure and provides some possible coping strategies, a discussion of special interests and, finally, a fascinating look at what happiness really is.

I really like what he has to say about the diagnosis of AS:

Diagnosis is not intended as a eulogy, but almost instead as a starting point, a context, or a filter through which to discover the person’s individuality–far quicker that without it.

He makes another great point in the chapter about coping strategies, talking about how strategies that are offered in books like this are theoretical and are not going to work the same for every person. He stresses that they are not foolproof but are worth trying – in quantity – in order to find the ones that make a difference.

All in all, I think this would be a great book for anyone who either has Asperger’s Syndrome or is close to someone who does. Carley provides a tremendous amount of helpful information while emphasizing the individuality of every person on the spectrum.

Note: This is Book #108 of my 2011 Reads (master list here).

The Book on Writing: The Ultimate Guide to Writing Well
by Paula LaRocque
Marion Street Press, 2003
240 pages

About the Book

This comprehensive work is meant to be one-stop shopping for any writer. A consistent and exceptional seller since its publication, The Book on Writing has five stars on Amazon.com and periodically rises to No. 1 in its category in print and Kindle versions. It has three major sections:

• A dozen essential guidelines that work to make any writing accurate, clear, and concise.
• A primer on successful storytelling – from building suspense to effective description to using literary device and metaphor.
• A concise handbook on writing mechanics such as grammar, usage, punctuation, and style.

My Thoughts

I am so glad that I had the opportunity to read this book, and I only wish I had read it before starting college – it would have made things go much more smoothly, I’m sure!

Part 1: A Dozen Guidelines to Good Writing

I learned so much from just the first twelve chapters that I stopped reading for a while and started going through my blog posts to see where I could make them more readable and concise. My favorite passage in this section comes from chapter 2, which is entitled “Avoid Pretensions, Gobbledygook, and Euphemisms.”

The fact is that there isn’t anything very intelligent about pretentious and abstract writing. To the contrary, one hallmark of intellect is the ability to simplify, to make the complex easy to understand. Anyone can be unclear.

Part 2: Storytelling

The middle chapters in this book concern themselves with the deeper issues of what makes up a compelling story. LaRocque gives clear, helpful explanations of archetypes and major story types, as well as discussing how to create word pictures using a variety of tools, including metaphors, similes and irony.

I was especially interested in her advice on writing versus editing, since I often fall into the trap of jumping into a blog post without much planning and then editing as I go instead of getting everything out on paper first. How much easier would it be following this advice:

Before laying hand to keyboard, you write a sentence that captures the essence of the whole piece of section or chapter….Then you make a brief, informal outline that includes beginning, middle, and end….

Sit down and write like mad, allowing no distraction, answering no phone, checking no fact…. Stifle the impulse to edit as you write. You’ll lose momentum if you do.

She also recommends reading your work aloud when you are ready to edit, as this makes it easier to find the bumpy parts that need a bit of polishing.

Part 3: Language and Writing Mechanics

As someone who has always enjoyed the details of grammar and punctuation, I had a lot of fun reading these last few chapters of the book. And I even learned a number of things that I either didn’t know or had wondered about.

I greatly appreciate LaRocque dispelling some common myths, specifically those about not splitting an infinitive or a verb phrase and not ending a sentence with a preposition. She also answered some questions I had about the use of the serial comma, which has been quite helpful already!

Whether you write for publication or for pleasure, I would highly recommend this book to anyone wishing to improve their writing style.

Note: This is Book #73 of my 2011 Reads (master list here). I received a review copy of this book for free, and all opinions and comments are my own.

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:

* Grab your current read
* Open to a random page
* Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
* BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS!
* Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists!

My Teaser

Right now I’m reading The Book on Writing: The Ultimate Guide to Writing Well by Paula LaRocque.

…the fact is there isn’t anything very intelligent about pretentious and abstract writing. To the contrary, one hallmark of intellect is the ability to simplify, to make the complex easy to understand. Anyone can be unclear.

What are you reading right now?

Check out Should Be Reading for more Teaser Tuesdays!

Starting Sensory Therapy: Fun Activities for the Home and Classroom! by Bonnie Arnwine

This is a great little book that I had the pleasure of receiving a review copy to read. I will be finishing up my full review soon, but wanted to list it here just for keeping track of all my books.

The Uncharted Path: My Journey with Late-Diagnosed Autism by Rachel B. Cohen-Rottenberg

You may already be familiar with Rachel Cohen-Rottenberg as the blog author of Journeys with Autism. Even if you aren’t, I would highly recommend reading this compelling memoir of her life. I was deeply touched by much of what she shared, probably more than you can imagine, and I found her observations on her own coping strategies and on the nature of autism itself to be extremely insightful.

The Unwritten Rules of Social Relationships: Decoding Social Mysteries Through the Unique Perspectives of Autism by Dr. Temple Grandin and Sean Barron, Edited by Veronica Zysk

I have had this book on my wish list for quite a while and am so glad that I finally read it. Although the way the text switches back and forth between the two authors and the editor was a bit disconcerting at times, I did appreciate having the perspectives of these two very different people brought together in one discussion on this important topic. The book is aimed primarily at parents and educators of children with autism, but I believe it could be very helpful to teenagers or adults with autism who are reading it for themselves.

There are ten unwritten rules shared in this book, although the first four words of the first rule (“Rules are not absolute”) give you a hint that this is anything but a black-and-white manual. The most helpful part for me was actually in the beginning of the book, where Temple talks about the difference between social skills and emotional relatedness and encourages adults to focus on teaching their child appropriate social behaviors while recognizing and accepting that he or she may not relate to others emotionally in the same way they do.

Daughters-in-Law by Joanna Trollope

I have long been a fan of Joanna Trollope, and this recent novel is no exception. When I saw it being reviewed by Elizabeth at 5 Minutes for Books, I immediately added it to my library list and was lucky enough to get it very quickly!

At its center are Anthony and Rachel Brinkley and how they cope with the changes that come as their youngest son follows in his two older brothers’ footsteps by getting married and starting his own life separate from theirs. Although the road is a bit bumpy, in the end the growth in each character brings them to a stronger and truer place in their lives.

The Wilder Life: My Adventures in the Lost World of Little House on the Prairie by Wendy McClure

I must admit that I, like Wendy, fell in love with Laura Ingalls and her adventures as a young girl. I have read the entire series of Little House books more times than I can count, as well as many related books. Although I am aware that they are not autobiographical, but were rather written to give future generations a sense of what it was like then, I have never pursued that line of thought very far. I simply enjoy being taken away to another time and place.

It was with a bit of trepidation, therefore, that I began reading this account of Ms. McClure’s own exploration of the life of Laura Ingalls Wilder and her family. In a few cases, my feelings were justified; for example, I had not liked Rose Wilder much before this, and I like her even less now. In terms of the book itself, however, I found it to be extremely enjoyable and fascinating. I greatly appreciated the writing style as much as the content and laughed out loud at least a dozen times during the course of the book. I would definitely recommend this book to any and all Little House book fans.

You can see all the books I’ve finished so far this year on the bookshelf on my Books page or read all of my mini reviews by clicking on the 2011 Reads tag. I am also joining in on the Spring Reading Thing hosted by Callapidder Days, and you can see my list of what I plan to read this spring at my SRT11 post.

Since my last WOYN post, I have finished 10 more books, bringing my total for the year to 25.

I have broken down the list of what I read over the last month by which post included my (brief) comments on them so that you can easily check them out if you are so inclined. Just click on the links that say “mini review post” if you’d like to read any of them.

2011 Reads – Books 16-20 (mini review post)
The Best Kind of Different: Our Family’s Journey with Asperger’s Syndrome by Shonda Shilling
What I Didn’t See and Other Stories by Karen Joy Fowler
Fortune’s Fool (Tales of the Five Hundred Kingdoms, Book 3) by Mercedes Lackey
Reserved for the Cat (Elemental Masters, Book 5) by Mercedes Lackey
Finding the Way and Other Tales of Valdemar, edited by Mercedes Lackey

2011 Reads – Books 21-25 (mini review post)
The Elder Gods (The Dreamers, Book 1) by David & Leigh Eddings
The Bishop (The Patrick Bowers Files, Book 4) by Steven James
Mockingbird by Kathryn Erskine
Learn to Have Fun with Your Senses!: The Sensory Avoider’s Survival Guide by John Taylor, PhD (click for full review)
Solemnly Swear by Nancy Moser

Notes on a Couple of DNFs
I would like to give a shout out to two books that I didn’t finish because they had to go back to the library and weren’t able to be renewed. Although I didn’t read every page, I was inspired by what I read in each of them (in different ways) and wanted to at least mention them here:

The first one is Late, Lost, and Unprepared: A Parents’ Guide to Helping Children with Executive Functioning by Joyce Cooper-Kahn, Ph.D. & Laurie Dietzel, Ph.D. This book is for anyone with a child who has difficulty with executive function skills, which include but are not limited to emotional control, planning and organization, working memory and the ability to shift from one thing to another. As the authors say, “If all you are doing is getting your child through the day, then you are only doing half your job! Adults working with disorganized children also need strategies that help kids to be successful and independent in the long run.”

The first half of the book focuses on the what, how and why of executive function skills and weaknesses, and the second half goes into much more detail on how to support a child with these difficulties both now and in the future. Although I personally have read much of this information in other books about autism, this particular text would be good for someone who really wants to focus on this area or who has a child with these types of difficulties that is not diagnosed with autism, or any other disorder for that matter.

The other book I wanted to mention is The Reluctant Entertainer: Every Woman’s Guide to Simple and Gracious Hospitality by Sandy Coughlin. As someone who loves the idea of welcoming people into her home but is quite intimidated by the prospect, I really appreciated that this book offers down-to-earth advice along with practical tips on what to do. Although I did not finish the entire thing this go-around, I did find out that she has a blog, also called Reluctant Entertainer, so I can learn as I have time and opportunity.

“What’s On the Nightstand” to be read:
Lydia’s Charm by Wanda E. Brunstetter
Heart of the Matter by Emily Giffin
Star of the Morning by Lynn Kurland
The Fire Rose (The Elemental Masters Fairy Tales) by Mercedes Lackey
Phoenix and Ashes (Elemental Masters, Book 3) by Mercedes Lackey
Changelings (The Twins of Petaybee, Book 1) by Anne McCaffrey and Elizabeth Ann Scarborough
The Shape of Mercy by Susan Meissner
Washington’s Lady (Ladies of History Series #3) by Nancy Moser
The Unwritten Rules of Social Relationships: Decoding Social Mysteries Through the Unique Perspectives of Autism by Dr. Temple Grandin and Sean Barron
Lost at School: Why Our Kids with Behavioral Challenges are Falling Through the Cracks and How We Can Help Them by Ross W. Greene

To read more posts or join in yourself, visit What’s On Your Nightstand? at 5 Minutes for Books.

You can see all the books I’ve finished so far this year on the bookshelf on my Books page or read all of my mini reviews by clicking on the 2011 Reads tag. I am also joining in on the Spring Reading Thing hosted by Callapidder Days, and you can see my list of what I plan to read this spring at my SRT11 post.

I finally made it through all the posts on the February What’s On Your Nightstand? and was surprised by how non-fiction heavy so many of the lists are. While I do read non-fiction, I tend to heavily favor novels. I did still find quite a number of books for my TBR list, though.

As we move into the third month of the year, I am still on my Mercedes Lackey kick and enjoying it very much! And I have even read some more short stories, which is a sort of personal challenge for this year.

Here are my thoughts on my most recent reads:

The Best Kind of Different: Our Family’s Journey with Asperger’s Syndrome by Shonda Shilling
I picked up this “diagnosis memoir,” as I tend to think of them, on a whim from the library and am glad I did. The writer is refreshingly open about her experiences becoming a wife and mom while her husband is involved in a demanding baseball career and shares candidly about the ups and downs of parenting a child with Asperger’s Syndrome both before and after the diagnosis.

We hear a lot about the grieving process that parents can go through upon receiving the news that their child has a disability. Some parents feel intensely sad that their dreams for their child may not be realized and some may also feel guilty for things they think may have done to cause the problem. While Shonda does not mention these, she does touch on something that I had felt but not verbalized as being a part of grief. Here’s what she says:

It was both comforting and upsetting to read these Web sites. On the one hand they offered a clear explanation of why my son acted the way he did. On the other hand it hurt to realize how clueless I’d been about my own child and how I hadn’t been doing right by him. I could only read so much, a little at a time.

I think this is as good a representation of the combination of relief and sorrow that came upon me once we had a diagnosis of autism for Michael as I have read. I was so glad to have some direction, but so sad that no one had been able to tell me how to communicate with him and help him earlier. And I think the sadness and anger, and sometimes fear, that sometimes hit me even now are directly related to my desire for everyone in his world to treat him with the understanding and respect that he deserves while teaching him in a way he can understand how to be a good friend and student and, later, employee and citizen.

I would recommend this to book to anyone who wants to understand more about Asperger’s Syndrome. You do not have to be at all familiar with disability to connect with the story or the family in the book. There is also quite a bit of discussion about the dad’s role in the family and the struggles and growth they have experienced both in their marriage and their parenting over the years. Many books about family stories are focused on mom’s experience much more than dad’s, but this book has a lot that dads in this situation can likely relate to, even if they aren’t baseball stars!

What I Didn’t See and Other Stories by Karen Joy Fowler
After several years of avoiding short stories, I decided I needed to stop the silliness and read some this year. I think I was avoiding them partly because I wouldn’t want to get engrossed in a story only to have it be over so much earlier than a novel would be.

Having read this collection, I am reminded that another reason I have tended not to read them was that, when done well, they require your attention at every moment. But that’s also the beauty of a great short story, that you can experience an entire world in just a few pages.

Fortune’s Fool (Tales of the Five Hundred Kingdoms, Book 3) by Mercedes Lackey
This one was just as much fun as the first two, and perhaps even more as we see two characters from very different cultures and environments meet and fall in love, only to be separated by danger and have to use all of their wits and skill to find a way out.

Reserved for the Cat (Elemental Masters, Book 5) by Mercedes Lackey
I’m still waiting on book 3 to come in at the library, but I definitely enjoyed this one much more than book 4. It really gives you the flavor of the entertainment world at the time, both in France and England. And the cat is great!

Finding the Way and Other Tales of Valdemar, edited by Mercedes Lackey
Wow – my third short story collection this year already! I enjoyed most of the stories in this book, although there were a couple that seemed to miss the mark on readability and didn’t seem (to me at least) to fit in as well with the theme.

You can see all the books I’ve finished so far this year on the bookshelf on my Books page or read all of my mini reviews by clicking on the 2011 Reads tag.

Continuing with the tradition started earlier in the month, I am posting mini reviews of the last 5 books I have finished this year. I realize they are very heavy in the fantasy area; this is mainly because I haven’t read much of this in the last several years and am indulging myself in some of what I missed.

Anyway, this brings my total for the year to 15:

The Wizard of London (Elemental Masters, Book 4) by Mercedes Lackey
I skipped book 3 in this series since it was not available at my local library, so hopefully that wasn’t a mistake. I have to admit that didn’t enjoy this one quite as much as the first two. I also didn’t recognize which fairy tale it was drawing from, although I’m sure that just shows my unfamiliarity with many of them. It is still worth the read if you are a fan of the series.

The Fairy Godmother (Tales of the Five Hundred Kingdoms) by Mercedes Lackey
After reading several of the Elemental Masters books, which draw on fairy tales in a more subtle way, I greatly enjoyed reading the first installment in this more lighthearted series about a world where “Tradition” is a force to be reckoned with at your own peril.

The main character in this book is a girl who almost but doesn’t quite fit the bill as a Cinderella, and instead of marrying a handsome prince is given the opportunity to become a Godmother (since not all of them are true fairies anymore). It was a lot of fun to experience the unfolding of the story and see how Elena finds her own path amidst the strength of Tradition.

Autism & Alleluias by Kathleen Deyer Bolduc
This book is a truly heartfelt series of vignettes written by a woman who has an adult son with autism and intellectual disabilities. She reminds me of a psalmist as she openly shares some of the low points of her journey along with the revelations of God’s provision and faithfulness through it all.

It is a testimony to how God will meet us where we are, no matter how many times we end up there, just as we do for our children. I appreciate her willingness to share the lessons she has learned and understanding she has gained while walking this road ahead of me.

Murder at Mansfield Park: A Novel by Lynn Shepherd
I wasn’t at all sure what to expect when I picked up this book on a whim at the library. I have read many Jane Austen inspired novels, but can’t comment on this one in that vein since I am not actually that familiar with Mansfield Park and didn’t really care for the original that much.

Overall, I did like this book. The introduction of a murder mystery with a London detective thrown into the mix was very intriguing, and the plot twists and turns were engaging.

One Good Knight (Tales of the Five Hundred Kingdoms) by Mercedes Lackey
Very fun to read, this is the second in the series about the 500 Kingdoms where fairy tales are a force to be reckoned with. I loved how the story weaves in and around the traditional paths as Andie and George find their way to a happy ending.

I am really enjoying all the little touches Lackey adds to the world she has created in these books.

You can see all the books I’ve finished so far this year on the bookshelf on my Books page or read all of my mini reviews by clicking on the 2011 Reads tag.

Title: How to Teach Life Skills to Kids with Autism or Asperger’s
Author: Jennifer McIlwee Myers
Length: 314 pages
Genre: Nonfiction
Publisher/Date: Future Horizons, 2010
Source: Review copy

Why Life Skills?

I have to admit, I might not have picked this book up on my own. When I first read the title, How to Teach Life Skills to Kids with Autism or Asperger’s, I wasn’t sure exactly what it meant or how it would apply to me. After reading just a few pages, however, I was convinced that this was a message I needed to hear and that I could learn a lot from this book about how to help my son become a successful adult (and kid, for that matter)!

As Jennifer McIlwee Myers, the author and “Aspie at Large”, puts it,

While this is not an autobiography, the author draws freely on her own experience and that of her brother Jimmy, who has autism, to illustrate her points, and adds a lot of incredibly useful information by doing so, in my opinion. I also found her writing style to be extremely readable and greatly enjoyed the interjections of humor.

Just reading a few of the chapter titles themselves gives you some good rules to follow when teaching a child with autism:

• Say What You Need to Say – chapter 6
• Transmit Information in More than One Way – chapter 7
• Information in Translation: Speak the Language Your Child Understands – chapter 8
• Tap into Your Child’s Interests – chapter 11

Some of the other rules, or perhaps a more accurate word would be techniques, which are discussed discusses are how to use repetition and persistence, and how to balance opportunities to teach with opportunities to succeed. As Jennifer McIlwee Myers describes this difficult balancing act:

Too little success and too much frustration will add up to learned helplessness. Too little experience overcoming frustration and other obstacles will lead to a total lack of frustration tolerance. Figuring out ways to balance this is a tough job for parents, but it can be done.

So, Which Life Skills Are We Talking About?

You are probably wondering what specific skills are covered in the course of this book. Well, she makes it clear that she cannot possibly cover every skill or teaching method there is, but the skills discussed are of primary importance for getting along in this world. Also, many of the methods and examples can be applied and adapted to other situations, as well as to the interests and abilities of the individual child.

Skills discussed in the book include both general skills and some that are more specific to autism:

• Chores (working as part of a team or group)
• Punctuality
• Appropriate Attire
• Manners
• Kindness (yes, this is a life skill)
• Living with One’s Own Obsessive Interests
• Task Switching and Video Game Obsessions
• Learning to Spend Time
• Coping with Sensory Issues

And then there are the “Really, Really Big Skills That Everyone Needs”:

1. Exercise for Mental and Physical Health
2. Good Sleep Habits
3. Dealing with Mistakes and Failures
4. Understanding Cognitive Behavioral Therapy Concepts

I cannot recommend this book highly enough. I found myself reaching for it as eagerly as I would a novel, wanting to see where it would take me next.

If I haven’t convinced you by now that you really need this book, let me share an excerpt to whet your appetite further. This is from the beginning of chapter 21, entitled “Teach the Specifics of Kindness”:

Kindness is a pretty complicated concept. Being kind means, by and large, behaving in a way that takes others’ feelings into consideration, doing one’s best to provide comfort or assistance when it is needed or appropriate, and treating others as we would like to be treated.

In other words, telling a child with autism to “be kind” or “be nice” is like saying, “now, now, learn vector calculus while juggling ten items.”

Actually, saying “be kind” can be worse. At least vector calculus, juggling, and ten items are specific, easily definable things. Kindness is very hard to put one’s finger on.

Because we on the spectrum have a lot more difficulty than average doing social calculations like guessing at others’ feelings and knowing when it is appropriate to intervene on others’ behalf, we can do a better job at being kind if we are given lots of examples than if we are given emotional orders.

It makes sense to say, “We are visiting Nana in the hospital because it is kind. She enjoys having visitors, it makes her feel a bit better, and it makes the day more interesting and less boring for her.”

~~Excerpted from How to Teach Life Skills to Kids with Autism or Asperger’s by Jennifer McIlwee Myers. Reprinted with permission from Future Horizons.

Later in the book, the author also stresses how explaining why you are doing things in a certain way or at a certain time can help the person understand the decision-making process rather than turning specific routines into required rituals.

For example, if you go to the grocery store at a certain time of the day because it is less crowded then, that doesn’t mean one should only shop at that time of day. Explaining how you arrived at that choice will give the person the necessary information to reach their own conclusions later on.

For more information or to order a copy for yourself, visit Future Horizons online store.