Conversations with a Moonflower

I'll be the first to admit that I am a sucker for advertising. It doesn't even have to be good advertising... but I am easily convinced that I "need" whatever is being sold. (This is why I stick to a list at Costco (those tasters' tables are so effective!) and why I don't watch infomercials.) I will also freely admit that I can't pass within a few feet of an author signing his or her books without stopping to chat (and picking up a book). I like to support local writers. I have no illusions that I am a talented writer, but would hope that if I ever were to write a book there would be a whole lot of nice people like me that would stop and talk and buy my book. So when I was using my list at Costco last week, hurriedly walking to the register, I passed by a smiling author with bright posters (and a mesmerizing video playing) and it dawned on me that she was the aunt of a dear friend... my friend had told me that she (the aunt) had written a book. When I saw her and her lovely advertising and book I recognized it all immediately. I had to stop. I had to tell her that I knew her niece. I had to buy the book.  It turned out to be a quick read and was quite enjoyable.

There were quite a few little gems throughout the book as the author has "conversations" with an amazing plant she acquires from an Amish friend. It is a moonflower that blooms at dusk in the summertime. By the time the sun comes up in the morning, the blooms have wilted and gone away. The author learns a lot about herself and her challenges as she spends time with the moonflower.  This idea stood out to me the most (from page 98-99):

"It has never occurred to me to try to be anything but what I am," the plant began. "I know who and what I am. I know better than anything what I can do and be. I wasn't created to have an intoxicating smell that would become perfume, or to be used in floral arrangements that would grace the most joyful and sorrowful occasions in people's lives. I was created to instill a sense of wonder in those who come my way, to help them slow down, ask questions, and listen. I know who I am and what my work is. I am a unique and amazing creation, and I have much to share exactly as I am."

**Wouldn't it be wonderful if we all had such a strong sense of self, such a clear understanding of who we are and what we are capable of doing?
**Do you purchase books when the author is signing copies?
**Are you a sucker for good (or bad) advertising?