Melody Martin
An Interview With
A Local Author
by David Hancox
Melody Martin, a close friend
and colleague, is a former board member and employee of St.Paul-based
Metro Center for Independent Living (MCIL). She recently published
a book of life experiences and inspirational thoughts titled, “Lessons
on the Journey.” I sat
down with Mel recently to ask her a few questions about the book, and how she
went about the process of writing it.
DH: Melody, your book is an intimate and thought provoking read.
What brought you to write this book?
MM: I want to answer
in two ways. I had been wanting to write a book for a long time,
but I didn’t quite know the topic. People
kept saying, “Well, you should write about your life. Your
life has some pretty dramatic experiences in it.” I kind of
thought of a couple of things in writing about my life. First, who
would be interested? [She laughs.] And [second,] how does one go
about capturing this on paper. I wasn’t working at the time… and
I thought, “If I am ever going to write this book, I better
do it now ….” I decided I could write and reflect on
my life experiences and share some of the wisdom I have gained. And,
hopefully I would provide a venue that would allow people to reflect
on their own life experiences and come to their own wisdom.
DH: I like that…“come
to their own wisdom.”
MM: Yeah. We all have our own wisdom, and hopefully this book is
a vehicle to [find it].
DH: The stories and inspirational messages relate to or touch on
what must be strong personal values. Is there a particular story
or a reflection that is included in the book that stands out as your
favorite?
MM: A couple things.
To get in touch with their own wisdom…I
believe at the core of each person is a core of wisdom. And I think
that all we need to do is be quiet enough [to] go deep within [and]
tap into it. And I hope that when people read the book they will
be able to experience that [process].
Secondly, and maybe
this will tap into [the value] which is my favorite….
I hope that from reading the book, people will get in touch with
their own magnificence.
DH: Tell me more about
what you mean by ”their own magnificence.”
MM: Well, Dave, let
me ask you a question, “Do you think you
are magnificent?”
DH: No, I couldn’t
say that I am magnificent.
MM: How do you react
when I say, “Dave you are awesome!”
DH: My first reaction
would be to decline, and say, “Well
I think I am a nice guy, but I wouldn’t say I am awesome.”
MM: Right! Right! Most people would say that, because we have not
been taught to be in touch with or recognize [our] personal sense
of magnificence. So, hopefully my book will help people identify
with this part of themselves.
One of my pieces is
called, “I Am Totally Awesome.” Now,
growing up with a disability, it has taken [me] more than 40 years
to be able to exclaim, “I am totally awesome!”
Let me try to explain
it this way. Our personal sense of magnificence is a combination
of [three] things. First, our physical being. Our bodies are amazing
things. We can cut our finger, and usually it heals pretty quickly….
Sometimes [our bodies] need a little help, but there is a physical
need or drive to survive.
Next is our emotional
being. As a person with cerebral palsy, I have been wounded by
people’s comments, perceptions and expectations
throughout my life. And some of these wounds have been deep. But
my emotional need to survive [has] enabled me to get beyond these
comments and perceptions….
And finally there is
our spiritual being. And, it doesn’t
matter what religion—if any—you belong to. This is different
than a religious sense of spirituality. It is our inner core. This
is a spiritual need that lives in each one of us. And it is this
spiritual being, along with the physical and emotional being in each
of us, that, consciously or subconsciously …creates this essence
or sense of magnificence. It is the genuine, fully conscious awareness
of these three forces that enables us as individuals to identify
or be aware of our sense of magnificence.
I mean, I was [literally]
hit by truck! It was an amazing experience. My body was injured
in some dramatic ways, and it wiped me out in completely—emotionally, physically and spiritually. I was in
a coma for two weeks, but I continued to live. People ask me, “Did
you choose to live?” And, I tell them, “I don’t
know, I was unconscious for two weeks!” [She chuckles.] But,
something inside me did choose…and it is about choice. My
spirit chose not to give up, my body chose to heal, and my emotions
chose to survive. So, it really is about choice…consciously
[making] a choice. You have to choose to believe that you are totally
awesome.
DH: Was it difficult to write the book? Revisiting some of these
past experiences must have been challenging for you.
MM: No, it wasn’t [difficult to write the book.] I was very
disciplined about setting aside time to write. And, once I started
writing, this force would take over …and when I would reread
what I had written, I thought, “Wow, who wrote that?” I
think in writing this I was tapping into my own core of wisdom, and
it just flowed.
DH: How or where can people get a copy of this book?
MM: People interested in a
copy can go to www.singingriverpublications.com to get more information
about how to order a copy. It is not available in major book stores
yet. n
The Metropolitan Center for
Independent Living will host a reading and book signing with Martin
on Thursday, September 6, 2006, from 5:00-7:00 p.m. at 1600 University
Avenue West, Suite 16, St. Paul. ![]()
