CELTICLADY'S REVIEWS: Square Up: 50,000 miles in search of a way home by Lisa Dailey Book Tour Guest Review, Excerpt and Giveaway!

Square Up: 50,000 miles in search of a way home by Lisa Dailey

Publisher: Sidekick Press, (March 30, 2021)
Category: Memoir, Travel, Family Travel, Adventure Travel, Grief
Tour dates: January 17-February 18, 2022
ISBN: 978-1734494556
Available in Print and ebook, 272 pages

Description Square Up by Lisa Dailey

Have you ever wished you could run away and leave your life behind? Born on the “Day of the Wanderer,” Lisa Dailey has always been filled with wanderlust. Although she and her husband had planned to take their family on a ’round-the-world adventure, she didn’t expect their plans to come together on the heels of grief, after losing seven family members in five years.

Square Up shows us that travel not only helps us understand and appreciate other cultures, but invites us to find compassion and wisdom, heal from our losses, and discover our capacity for forgiveness, as well as joy.

Guest Review Square Up by Lisa Dailey

Guest review by Katy

In the short span of five years, Lisa Dailey experienced more loss than many of us will see in decades. In that time, the deaths of seven family members, including both parents and her younger brother, clouded her mind and her ability to process her own emotions. Lisa began experiencing negative mental health issues, including the onset of what she worried might be agoraphobia.

In answer to this, she and her husband decided to take their two teenage sons on an adventure that they'd always planned, but never actually had the guts to carry out. The trip began in Hawaii and extended to places like Guam, Okinawa, Singapore and Vietnam, where her husband had volunteered to work in a dental practice for one month as well as many other countries like Spain and Ghana.

During the trip, Lisa's perspective on her life began to change and she soon realized how much she was letting her grief control her life and ruin her relationship with her children and her husband.

In Guam, Lisa spent time with her uncle and through watching his grief for his sister and nephew and the way that it had driven him to stop taking care of himself, she saw what she was headed toward.

The writing in this memoir is top notch, and deeply emotional. I can only imagine the vulnerability it took for Dailey to record her thoughts during one of the darkest times in her life, but I could definitely see why she struggled to escape those lines of thinking.

Reading about her coming out of that and realizing all that she had to be thankful for is something that I could see being vastly helpful to many readers who are dealing with grief and loss. 'Square Up: 50,000 miles in search of a way home,' is a transformative read in many ways and a stunning memoir to dive into.

Excerpt Square Up by Lisa Dailey

Namo Buddha, Nepal

When the day arrived for my trekking adventure with the boys, my husband and I said goodbye, our hug lingering, both of us knowing we would not be able to communicate until we returned to the guesthouse in a few days. We had barely been apart for months, and I had come to rely on our closeness, our shared decision-making and planning, but this felt like the right time to step out on my own with my sons.

“Have a great time,” he said. “You’ll be fine.”

I nodded. “We will be fine as long as we don’t get lost.”

Shortly after breakfast, RJ, Tyler, and I took a familiar trail, tackling the thousand stairs to Kali Temple. Further along, we found wooden signs with faded lettering pointing the way to Namo Buddha. Along the dusty path, we passed houses in all states of disrepair. Homes constructed of dried mud and sticks had been so damaged by the earthquake and aftershocks that, in many cases, entire walls were still missing from the structures.

As we passed houses with young children, they ran to the edge of their property shouting, “Chocolate?” Our guesthouse host, Meen, told us before we left that trekkers hiking through the villages of Nepal used to carry chocolate and pass it out to children along the way. The practice had long since been discouraged, although not entirely forgotten. The boys and I would shake our heads apologetically and wave as we passed, hoping a smile and a “Namaste” would suffice. The children smiled back, waving us on our way.

We continued along the terraced landscape covered in a blanket of small yellow wildflowers. We climbed for long stretches, often catching views of the snow-covered Himalayas to our left. Prayer flags were strung from tree to tree across the path, like they were in the streets of Kathmandu. The only sound was the fall of our footsteps and the rustling of the trees. The flags swayed in the light breeze, some bright yellow, red, blue, and green, others so sun-faded their original color was indistinct. The flags imparted a sense of calm and serenity, as if Buddha were watching over us. I was reminded of being in the shadow of the stupas in Myanmar. Could it be true that by simply standing in their presence, calm was restored? I decided it was.

By early afternoon, we arrived at our destination. Ingrid, a middle-aged German woman who owned the resort, welcomed us. After checking us in and calling for lunch to be prepared, she served hot tea and sat with us on the patio. Several cats prowled around seeking our attention, which the boys were more than happy to provide. From the patio we had views stretching to the north and south, even to the Himalayas—less than seventy miles away.

After lunch, I had visions of a short rest and a hot shower. Meen had mentioned that the resort had a generator, so hot water and heat were available all day. Ingrid had other plans for us, however.

“You should walk over to the monastery for evening prayers,” she said. “It’s a beautiful place to visit and they will serve you bread and tea. When you return, you will have time to rest before dinner at seven.”

“Is it okay for us to watch their ceremony?” I felt like we would be intruding on something sacred, something private.

“Oh, yes. It’s an amazing experience,” she replied. “I’m sure you’ll see other travelers there, too.”

We said goodbye and hiked the two miles to the monastery, once again up and down the terraced landscape. Walking up a winding road to an enormous complex on top of a hill, we didn’t notice any other tourists. In fact, we didn’t see anyone on the grounds at all. Surrounded by mountains and now large buildings, we were alone.

“Is this the place?” RJ asked. He, too, had noticed we were the only people walking toward the monastery.

“This has to be it. It’s the only building around here,” I said.

“Mom, let’s turn around,” Tyler said.

I glanced at him and could tell he felt worried about not seeing anyone.

“No, let’s go a little farther. I’m not ready to give up quite yet,” I said.

I knew what Tyler was feeling all too well; I’d let it control me too often. I wasn’t afraid to make a mistake anymore. I wanted to demonstrate to my boys that not achieving the intended outcome was okay.

We wandered further into the complex and began to see an occasional saffron-robed figure walking toward a building in the center.

“That must be where we’re supposed to go. C’mon,” I said.

“Mom, how do you know?” Tyler asked.

“I don’t know for sure, Tyler, but let’s find out,” I said, trusting we were in the right place, even if it was the wrong place. I smiled to myself. I was confident, able to move beyond my own worries.

We walked into the entryway and at once noticed an area filled with shoes and a small sign asked for all footwear to be removed.

“This is the place,” I said, giving Tyler a reassuring smile.

“How do you know?” he asked.

I pointed to the pile of shoes in front of us. “Look at those shoes, Ty. Columbia, Merrell, Nike. I don’t think this is monks’ footwear.”

We removed our dusty socks and shoes, and I led the way up a flight of stairs, the cold marble making my bare toes ache. At the entrance to the large room, a monk greeted us silently with palms pressed together and a small bow, but no words. We reciprocated the greeting and followed him to pillows set along the wall, where he extended his hand and invited us to sit. As my eyes adjusted to the dim lighting, I noticed there were several other groups of onlookers seated near us. I gave Tyler a little nudge to make sure he saw them.

“I feel really uncomfortable, Mom,” Ty said.

I heard a familiar ring of anxiety in Tyler’s voice, reminding me of myself in similar moments. I knew this was a moment in which I could either confirm his uneasiness or demonstrate how to move beyond the anxiety.

“I know, hon’, but we’re okay. Let’s see what happens.”

We watched as monks entered the dimly lit room and sat at long tables stretching the entire length of the room. Some monks held instruments, others carried trays of cakes. Several monks served warm milk tea to the guests, followed by slices of sweet bread. Once everyone had eaten, the monks played a variety of instruments and chanted. The beating of large drums and bellowing of conch shells made a deep, resonating sound that vibrated through my body.

I glanced over at Ty. He seemed to be interested in the ceremony, so I closed my eyes and let my body relax. My breath synced to the rhythm of the music. I was also proud of myself for not giving up on this adventure.

About Lisa Dailey

Lisa Dailey is an avid traveler and writer. In her time abroad, she unearthed new ways of looking at her life through her discoveries in remote corners of the world and she continues to enrich her life through travel. She is currently working on a recipe anthology as well as her first work of fiction. A native Montanan,

Lisa now makes her home by the ocean in Bellingham, Washington, but returns to her roots every summer for a healthy dose of mountains and Big Sky.

Lisa is the owner of Silent Sidekick and Sidekick Press where she helps guide authors through their publishing journey.

Author Website: https://lisa-dailey.com/
Travel Blog: https://northwestrambles.com/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/nwrambles
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/lisadailey1724
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lisad1724/ & https://www.instagram.com/nwrambles/
Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/nwrambles/

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Giveaway Square Up by Lisa Dailey

This giveaway is for 3 print copies One for each of 3 winners. This giveaway is open to the U.S. only and ends on February 12, 2022 midnight, pacific time. Entries accepted via Rafflecopter only.

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