I met Scott Barron in a museum near Laoying, China in November 2011. We had finished looking at the exhibits & bumped into each other on a rare bench in the atrium. After a 20-hour trip overseas, we were surprised to discover we lived no less than 4 hours away from each other in the U.S.
Later that week, we meet in a hotel lobby in Beijing in November 2011. Scott had this little book in his hand:
In a few minutes, I listened in fascination to Scott's story behind the book & why he brought it to China. The story goes that at 42, Scott wanted to change the direction of his life... So he did...And he did it again...The Yabwi Tree tells the transformative story that changed Scott's life (which you can find below):
The Yabwi Tree resonated with me because I had just finished a stint in my educational career and had closed the full-time portion of my school. That was my 40th year of life. The stresses were insurmountable. The sleepless nights endless. The emotional tension taut. Ever since reading The Yabwi Tree, my life has diversified in ways I could not have imagined.Here is the question: for whom does The Yabwi Tree make an ideal gift? The answer is: for people in transition. I have given out several copies of The Yabwi Tree to...-worn-out professionals-stressed entrepreneurs-nervous high school graduates-exhausted thought-leaders. What's magical about this gift is that you don't wrap it up. What you do is find a few free moments where you both can sit undisturbed...And you read it to them.
When was the last time anybody read you a story? A parable? A fable? A fairy tale where in the end the monsters are defeated and the good people thrive?Because, according to The Yabwi Tree, that's your story.*YABWI comes from the hopeful phrase Yeah, But, What If?
