* * *
I trust my path.
I embrace change.
I am worthy of love.
Those were justa few of the affirmations I’d scribbled down from the book.
Whatever preconceived notions I had aboutFinding Yourself After Forty: How Mantras, Meditation, and Daily Yoga Transformed My Lifewere wrong. Keeping good on my promise to Nancy, I’d dug into the book as soon as I got home from the library. For the past few hours, I’d been enamored with the author, Jane Stone’s, story.
She’d spent most of her life as a stay-at-home mom, and when her husband passed, she felt lost—until a friend introduced her to yoga. Through her yoga practice, mantras, and affirmations, she transformed her mindset and found a sense of purpose.
It was relatable—almost like this book was written for me.
“Shit,” I said under my breath when Alistair’s video chat request came through. I’d been so engrossed with the book that I’d lost track of time.
“There she is,” he said when I answered. “What are you up to, pretty lady?”
Alistair’s smiling face filled my screen. Today he was dressed in a baby blue button-down shirt that complemented his cream-colored hair, the neck unbuttoned just enough that the wispy grays of his chest hair peeked out.
I propped my phone against the vase on my kitchen table and pushed my glasses up my nose. “I was reading and lost track of time. It’s probably a sandwich for dinner type of night.”
“What were you reading?” He lowered his voice. “Does it involve aliens?”
I loved that he was interested and genuinely wanted to know—even if he assumed it was smut.
“No,” I said with a laugh. “No aliens in this one. My friend recommended this book about mantras and yoga. I thought it would be super crunchy, but it’s really inspiring. The author changed her entire life because she believed she could. I mean, I’m sure there’s more to it than that, but a lot of the affirmations she mentions resonate with me.”
He rubbed the scraggly whiskers dotting his chin. “There are a lot of successful people who believe in the power of affirmations. It’s a pretty common theme in the business books I’ve read.”
“Do you think it actually works?” I asked in a low whisper.
Alistair thought for a moment, then slowly nodded his head. “I do. If you put those vibes out into the universe, I believe it answers.”
I snorted. “Did you eat an edible before you called?” I knew the answer was no because he still had to drive home, but it was the type of profound statement you’d expect from someone under the influence of marijuana.
“No,” he laughed. “It’s just in the air here all the time. We live in a marijuana cloud. Seriously though…” Alistair put his arms on his desk and leaned in closer, his expression softening. “I think that if you’re interested in the techniques she mentions in the book, you should give it a try. Write your mantras down and will those things into existence. Hell, maybe even sign up for a yoga class. I’ve been thinking of taking it up myself. You saw me on the ice! Gotta work on my balance.”
So this was what it was like to date someone who was supportive.
If I had mentioned something like affirmations or yoga to Don, he would have laughed in my face.
But that wasn’t the case now.
I looked at Alistair and grinned. “You know, I think I will.”
TWELVE
ALISTAIR
“What seems to us as bitter trials are often blessings in disguise.” - Oscar Wilde
Another fucking meeting.
When you were this high up the corporate ladder, it’s what the majority of your workday consisted of. Luckily, my business partner Jonathan insisted on leading the meeting. The minotaur was ten years my junior, and he was slowly taking on more responsibilities at Rocky Roots Cannabis Corporation, the company we’d spent the last seven years building from the ground up.
I leaned back in my chair, watching Jonathan advance the slideshow he’d prepared. The social media profile of an attractive, sun-kissed blonde with a joint hanging out of her mouth appeared on the screen, boasting an impressive 1.3 million followers on the platform.
