Patty is talking with John Roedel, a rare returning guest to the show. He’s a poet and self-published author and he’s back to talk about life, spirituality and how he’s dealing with it all.   One of his most recent poems was about thinking of each breath as a rosary bead. He explains how focusing on his breath is one of the ways he uses to be present and when necessary, as a way to reducing anxiety.   John explains how he writes. He doesn’t claim to know for certain that he is talking with God. He does feel that these messages were delivered to him at birth. They are a part of who he is.   We forget that we were created out of love.   They discuss our creation stories. John wants to remind us that we were created from love, and that we’re part of the Divine. Our world wants us to feel shame about it, or wants us to focus on the things that are “wrong” with us.   John’s writer story is one that we can all relate to. At first, he didn’t consider himself a writer even after publishing a book. He learned that many of his posts were being shared without attribution. Hear how he introduced himself to others who were sharing his work. It’s an amazing approach that he refers to as self-advocacy.   He stills has his moments of self-doubt. He’s now feeling more attached to the work and the impact is has for others. Over time he’s realized that minimizing the impact in a display of humility was devaluing the experience of others.   He reminds us that we are all a unique one-of-a-kind piece of art. To deny that deprives others from your light and impact.   More about John:  John Roedel is an improv comic and writer who did what any typical man does when confronted with their mid-life crisis:    He started having imaginary conversations with “God” on Facebook.  What began as an irreverent way to poke fun at his faith and mental health crisis soon became a project that touched the hearts of people around the world.  John’s latest collection of poetry entitled “Remedy” has been on Amazon’s bestseller list for poetry since its release in November.     Connect with John:  Facebook:  Facebook.com/johnbigjohn   Twitter: @johnnyroedel  IG: John_Roedel_Writer  JohnRoedel.com  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices