About the Author…So… Where do I start? “Things I Would Say To Five Year Old Me” was written as a therapeutic exercise. I had no idea that it would form a book, let alone a book that is for children and adults.

It was originally a jumbled group of passages, all with their own individual merits and themes but when put together and organized correctly, they became something special. I’ve spent most of my adult life behind a bar and a lot of it in front of a bar.

I catered to the needs of many different people, with many interesting experiences, cultivating relationships and just plain enjoying myself to the fullest extent. It wasn’t a bad life but it left me unfulfilled.

I’ve always been a creative person but behind and in front of the bar I lost that aspect of my life. Unfortunately, towards the end of my tenure as a bartender, I led myself down a dark path, and eventually to a fork in the road with only two outcomes: To the left was the end of friendships, loss of family, a poor finish to a reasonable legacy, and eventually and soon, a premature end of me.

To the right was facing the fact that I had gone too deep into the rabbit hole, asking for the help that was needed and finding sobriety. Thankfully I chose the option to the right, with the help of family and friends, and a great therapist who asked me the question that started all of this: What would you say to 5 year old you? Thus becoming the genesis of this book.

I’ve always had an artistic side; photography, painting and a love of art in all its forms but I had never been able to write, until I found sobriety. I reflected on life in general but more specifically about the hardships associated with young life and how to build strength and character.

Lessons that aren’t always taught but ones you learn on a rocky road to becoming an adult. The result of all of this is a book for everyone, not just children but for all of us, to reflect on our lives and find a focus on the positives, find an acceptance of the negatives and then realize that everything that we all go through happens for a reason.

These are different for everyone but there is also a common ground that we all share within all of our vast experiences. Read this book, relate to it, reflect on your own lives, and know that you can find your way no matter what stage you’re in.

Read this to your children so that they will have some warning about the ups and downs but also to realize that we can always pick ourselves up and find the positives. You are not perfect, nor do you need to be, but your life and the experiences you’ve had are important! Use them to make your life and the lives of those close to you better, good and bad, they all matter.

You are worth it, remember that, I hope my words resonate with you. Thank you for reading and I hope you all realize how amazing and important you are.

SincerelyR. B.

MosbyAuthor, Artist and Photographer brian@bresliepub. com.