GATHERING PEBBLES: Learning How to Make Your Own Chicken Soup by David Okerlund – Memoir, Inspirational, Healthy Living

Inuit of the Canadian Arctic are known for creating stone structures used as navigational points and message centers for fellow travelers. Some of these directional monuments provide a spiritual connotation meant to enrich the journey.

Gathering Pebbles is David Okerlund’s own “inukshuk” of sorts, a book filled with stories, recollections, and memorable life events that have become part of his personal road map for living. Okerlund, a world-class inspirational speaker, shares his best stories to help you create your own life-path. He shares this collection of nuggets in the interest of helping others along their chosen path and hoping to encourage their own “gathering” and sharing of valuable knowledge.

Okerlund directs his writing in a casual, user-friendly style. Each of the book’s chapters is highlighted as a pebble gathered on his winding life’s path. Titles are effectively posed as questions to help draw readers into the topic at hand. Each chapter is formatted with a variable mixture of contemplative quotes, poetry, recaptured historical moments, and personal experiences, to showcase qualities such as perseverance, retaining a sense of childhood wonderment, the importance of faith, and following your dreams.

Whether referencing the words of Pablo Picasso, Chuck Norris, Colin Powell, or Mario Andretti, Okerlund taps into thought from the world at large. From Presidents and self-help gurus to business moguls and religious leaders, the inclusion of such a broad range of sentiment represents a treasure trove of relatable wisdom. In a chapter on self-esteem and learning to be content with your present situation, even troubled starlet Marilyn Monroe’s ponderings ring true, “Wanting to be someone else is a waste of the person that you are.”

In a similar light, included poems, primarily authored by Okerlund, often provide a whimsical complement to a chapter’s focus. Whether the narrative rhyming verse of “A Single Arrow” that emphasizes a need to stay on target to reach our goals, or the musings of “The Child Within” suggesting we retain the charms of our childlike curiosity and resilience. The messages are clear and heartfelt. “My Legacy” proves a down-to-earth embodiment of sincere gifts like smiles, laughter, dreams, and blessings.

Okerlund weaves many of the classic and time-honored lessons amidst his storytelling.

One narrative about efforts to avoid traffic pointedly entertains a “stop and smell the roses” philosophy. Additional directives to readers include being responsible for your actions, how to approach situations with a balanced head and heart when making decisions, and realizing that failure is often a prerequisite to success. The book has an interactive appeal with questions to ponder and simple exercises to help in assessing the likes of values, priorities, and needs vs. desires in our daily lives. A touching story about an unexpected friendship between a student with down-syndrome and a star athlete focuses on the importance of little things and how simple efforts can create positive change.

While the core messages of this book may not be new, the shared information of Okerlund’s own deconstructed “inukshuk” proves an inspiring worthwhile effort to help others navigate life’s winding path. Such positivity is always a good thing.