30 Perfect Days, Finding Abundance in Ordinary Life is now available on Amazon and directly from me. I took part in an Artist’s Way class a couple of years ago, and this question arose: Imagine a perfect life. My vision of a life of writing and connecting with other people hasn’t changed, so my answer wasn’t inspiring, but the idea of living perfect days that lead to perfect months and perfect years, thus a perfect life, manifested itself. What if I lived each and every day as well as I could and created a perfect life moment by moment, just by being present?
The river metaphor led me through most of the book; this is the quote on the back cover: “We Earth travelers are all on a journey on the river of life, meandering, flowing over the rocks if we’re lucky, working through the obstructive branches, widening and narrowing in our ability to respond to the world and to be our best selves. We find our true selves as we go along, bit by bit, even as we change, the changes wrought in us becoming part of all the things going down that river with us. The bad stuff, if we go about it right, gets left behind.”
Dedicated to the women in my life who follow their dreams, one day at a time, and encourage other women to find their own abundance, the book is a 30-day reflective memoir that explores the question: what would happen if every day was lived with the intention that it be perfect in wisdom, grace, timelessness, beauty, and possibility? Every chapter begins with a quote that relates to the theme (delisting lists, worry is a sin, looking fear in the face), references books to read, and asks reflective questions. The book is already being used in several workshops.
This is what readers have to say:
“Be careful not to let the title mislead you. This is a book for anyone, especially those who are challenged to find peace and meaning from the stress in their lives. Claudia is a mentor and a friend who helps you discover that perfection can be messy, uncomfortable, exhausting and unexpected . . . Claudia made a commitment to notice and write about the perfection in her life for 30 days straight during a time filled with the challenges of family, marriage, work, organizing a writers retreat, caring for her terminally ill father and a hurricane-related power outage! Claudia is a superb writer with an authentic voice for a woman who has a very full life. She remains bravely honest throughout the events of those 30 days. (Betsy Muller) “A gifted writer, Claudia J. Taller draws the reader into a very personal look at her inner life–her joys and struggles with managing the challenges of her life in a way that holds meaning to her soul. As she sets out to have 30 perfect days and write about each one, life itself intruded with its plans! Taller deals with these obstacles by going deeper than their face value to gain insight into the patterns behind the problems and to find the places in her own heart that needed to shift into greater acceptance and forgiveness of self and others . . . My favorite part was where Taller asked her writing class, “If you could have four other lives, what would they be?” Unabashedly honest, reading this book helps a person be more accepting of life as it is, while simultaneously seeing how shifting our own attitudes can make it better.” (Barbara Stone)
“Taller’s honesty on the page and meditative voice make for compelling reading. She allows us into her life in an intimate way, yet her writing touches on universal themes.” (Marsha McGregor)
“Often when life feels mundane, boring, not enough, nothing but checking off items from to-do lists, and a robotic series of events between getting up and going to bed, Taller’s words gently reveal to us the joys and the simple “perfections” in our ordinary lives. It’s like she’s holding a piece of beautiful beach glass in her hand, opens her palm, and shares its splendor with you. “Ah, yes, I see. That IS in my life. You’re right. Thank you for showing it to me.” The quotes at the beginning of each chapter set the tone for the theme. Through her life stories, she raises questions we’ve all asked ourselves, gently nudging the reader to find their own answers. An accomplished author, each brief chapter is written in a comfortable and conversational tone and can be read as a daily reflection or in one sitting. I recommend both. I read it completely through and now it sits on my desk where I often pick it up, read a chapter, write down my thoughts, and am reminded: I do live perfect days. Taller’s “30 Perfect Days: Finding Abundance in Ordinary Life” will help you appreciate that while our ordinary lives may be simple, there is abundance and perfection, after all. (Trudy Brandenburg)
“As the title suggests, this book explores the idea of capturing a month of perfect days. But life often trumps our plans, so it is the book’s subtitle that is the true theme. Author Claudia Taller reminds us that while jobs, marriage, children, and the needs of older parents can challenge our mind, it’s up to us to nurture our souls. To find abundance and joy in the perfect moments that are indeed there everyday – if only we can let go of ego, worry, insecurities, and those complex emotions that plague us all. Not an easy task and not always accomplished. But Claudia lets the reader into her personal world to show how it can be done. If not for an entire day, at least in those cherished perfect moments that ultimately define our lives.” (Deanna Adams)
REVIEWS
A Book for Anyone Searching for a Silver Lining
By Betsy Muller on November 10, 2014
Be careful not to let the title mislead you. This is a book for anyone, especially those who are challenged to find peace and meaning from the stress in their lives. Claudia is a mentor and a friend who helps you discover that perfection can be messy, uncomfortable, exhausting and unexpected.
It was an honor to witness the birth of a beautiful book, which came as a result of Claudia’s participation in one of the Artist’s Way with EFT study groups I facilitated in the fall of 2012.
Claudia made a commitment to notice and write about the perfection in her life for 30 days straight during a time filled with the challenges of family, marriage, work, organizing a writers retreat, caring for her terminally ill father and a hurricane-related power outage! Claudia is a superb writer with an authentic voice for a woman who has a very full life. She remains bravely honest throughout the events of those 30 days. The fact that she stuck with this project in spite of the stresses she could not have anticipated is noteworthy. I shared many of those 30 days with Claudia in some way and can assure you, this book is about as real as it gets.
Through Claudia’s story, you will realize that you are not alone and also be coaxed to see the bright spots. If your life is stressed and filled with so many challenges that you don’t have much time for yourself, consider taking on a chapter a day for 30 days. You will be better for it.
A great read to find abundance in everyday life
By Trudy Brandenburg on November 14, 2014
Often when life feels mundane, boring, not enough, nothing but checking off items from to-do lists, and a robotic series of events between getting up and going to bed, Taller’s words gently reveal to us the joys and the simple “perfections” in our ordinary lives. It’s like she’s holding a piece of beautiful beach glass in her hand, opens her palm, and shares its splendor with you. “Ah, yes, I see. That IS in my life. You’re right. Thank you for showing it to me.” The quotes at the beginning of each chapter set the tone for the theme. Through her life stories, she raises questions we’ve all asked ourselves, gently nudging the reader to find their own answers. An accomplished author, each brief chapter is written in a comfortable and conversational tone and can be read as a daily reflection or in one sitting. I recommend both. I read it completely through and now it sits on my desk where I often pick it up, read a chapter, write down my thoughts, and am reminded: I do live perfect days. Taller’s “30 Perfect Days: Finding Abundance in Ordinary Life” will help you appreciate that while our ordinary lives may be simple, there is abundance and perfection, after all.
Honest and Inspiring
By Barbara Stone, PhD, DCEP on November 9, 2014
A gifted writer, Claudia J. Taller draws the reader into a very personal look at her inner life–her joys and struggles with managing the challenges of her life in a way that holds meaning to her soul. As she sets out to have 30 perfect days and write about each one, life itself intruded with its plans! Taller deals with these obstacles by going deeper than their face value to gain insight into the patterns behind the problems and to find the places in her own heart that needed to shift into greater acceptance and forgiveness of self and others. Many of the chapters end with a question for the reader to reflect on the topic of the day in his or her own life. My favorite part was where Taller asked her writing class, “If you could have four other lives, what would they be?” In her own listing of her four other lives, she realized that she had already incorporated the essence of all four of them into her own present life, which though imperfect, had many perfect moments. Unabashedly honest, reading this book helps a person be more accepting of life as it is, while simultaneously seeing how shifting our own attitudes can make it better.