Today the feature is all about an author who shows us A Glimpse of Heaven and his name is Glen Hepker.You’re welcome. Where would you rather spend your holiday? On a sailboat, or a luxury yacht?
Sailboat
Given the choice would you rather be alone and read, or go on an adventure with a group?
Depends on the day, difficult to be one more than the other.
Is there any food or beverage that is a constant factor in either your books or life?
Nothing specific – but must be vegan.
What is your favourite dish and can you give me the recipe?
Food is not a big deal for me, it simply must be healthful and nutritious. Likely my favorites are unmolested fruit of any type, and flax seed chased with coconut juice.
What is the title of the book you would like to talk about, and can you give us a small taster of it?
My book – A Glimpse of Heaven: The Philosophy of True Health
The Lotus Flower Blossoms (as set forth in Chapter XV of my book):
“There is a place where, wherever you are there, whatever you are doing…no matter what, in any given moment, there should be nowhere you would rather be. It is where you are right now – and you have the ability to so deeply and artfully appreciate your life and its living…to connect one healthful insight to the next, and make them all one…learning to witness this already-existing truth.
In the wilderness of our existence…a place of budding flowers about, about to unwrap in a showing of perfect appreciation for all to thrive upon, we are the flowers which can blossom again and again in each season of our deeper and deeper insights…all connected…each better and more healthful than before.
It is not unlike Heaven…and it can become Heaven, with enough insight and appreciation. It takes quite a few sparks, glimpses – spine-tingling moments…as a way-of-life which becomes more and more purposeful…more and more without time or space or distance. More and more there is less and less to hide behind.”
Did you have difficulty coming up with that title?
No, e,g., the title relates to the traditions of the ages-old wellness philosophy which is set forth in the book.
Is there anything you don’t like about being an author?
Not terribly, albeit the marketing can be (timewise) quite overwhelming.
What do you do marketing wise and what do you think generates the most attention to your books?
Too many things to mention here, albeit the main things that promote the book are my blogs (on WordPress and site) – inclusive of their interaction with Facebook, Twitter, Google+. Pinterest, etc.
Now I’d like for you to shoot your mouth off. Tell me whatever you want the blab about. But please no cat’s, dogs, or children. Make me laugh, or cry, or even envious. Tell me something none has ever heard before from you. hehehe, love those little dirty secrets, real or make believe. 🙂
Disneyland on Christmas?
Last night my wife was working her evening shift (2 pm to 2 am – she is off today – Christmas Day), e.g., she genuinely enjoys her job as an emergency room charge nurse at the local-regional medical center. So Henry (our pooch) and I were on our own. I’ve been a jogger throughout most of my adult life, and I was antsy to go on a long run. ‘Bright star (oh boy!)’ that I am, I decided to accomplish two things at the same time in this. I left at 7:15 pm and jogged all around our small city (about 30,000 population), stopping at the homes of my friends, family, students – AND last but NOT least, to steal a really great kiss (actually quite a few kisses) from my darlin’ wife at the ER. I didn’t stay long at any one place, just long enough to share a benevolent holiday spirit with my own VERY special version of “ho, ho, ho!” (Henry is getting on in age – about seven years, so I took him for a short run just beforehand.)
All of the people who I stopped to see (for over two and a quarter hours of meandering ten miles all around town) seemed very pleased to see me, but they expressed concern (except my wife, i.e., she knows I’m a ‘whacked-out dudie from outer space’): During my run it was 6 degrees above zero (fahrenheit), with a 5 – 15 mph breeze and gusts up to 20 mph, while snowing lightly with about one-and-a-half to two-and-a-half inches of snow and ice on the roads and sidewalks.
I was quite adequately dressed. Either way, that didn’t seem to matter. Again, SO quite humbly and respectfully, I was having a genuinely wonderful time…most especially just in mindfully/meditatively jogging along…alone in my own oh-so-light/bright sparkling spine-tingling winter wonderland! There was no yesterday, no tomorrow, no today…just ‘true appreciation of the miracle of the moment.’ It was more like dancing than running – I’m not even sure my feet were always touching the ground. Magic was in the air, all around and inside – warm and fuzzy and full of love…bright, light, childlike fun and wonder. And each time I rang a doorbell, it turned out to be the perfect time for them as such – glowing smiles and warm hugs. Each step, and each snow bank I hurdled over were better than the previous ones – and each one was perfect. Each sight, sound, smell, and feeling was a miracle. Each snow flake tasted…well some things can only be witnessed firsthand. I wasn’t cold, it was warm all over.
Am I selfish for going to Disneyland on Christmas Eve? I guess I don’t care…it was a ‘little bit of Heaven,’ e.g., it was well worth the ‘true effort,’ and I wouldn’t have missed it for the world (inclusive of those beyond-words wonderfully warm loving kisses I got from my wonderful dear wife in front of all the patients and her co-workers in the ER!). Does it get better than that? I don’t know – I’m just gonna keep trying (and trying and trying…). — Dr. Glen Hepker
Thank you Glen, that was a great anecdote. I’m truly glad to have had the chance for this ‘talk’ and hope you’ll want to come back in future.
For those who want to know more, Glen Hepker can be found online at:
Amazon, Facebook, Google+, Twitter, Goodreads, Quora, and Pinterest
For those who are truly in search of their piece of heaven I’ve asked Dr Glen Hepker to give us a small piece of the book. So read this excerpt and think about it. Could you tell us, after you’re done reading and thinking, if you think you could ever be mindful?
Excerpt:
“While it is evident that ‘nothing is perfect’ herein this life, we can healthfully choose to learn to interpret things in a more and more unblemished and selfless light – a light which can become brighter and brighter and brighter. Once again, the greatest gift of all is that there is always room for improvement – deeper insight. Taking advantage of this ‘gift’ is exercising true freedom on a next-to-perfect level. And, in addition to that being said, it would be easy to say that such is as good as it gets on this Earth – but it would be dishonest and misleading. It does get better still, and better. And at such a point, it is traditional in these arts to reflect a bit of profundity which truly and honestly is meant in a spirit of heartfelt respect and appreciation:
‘The Way that can be told is not the eternal way…the Way that can be told is the
mother of all (material and tangible) things (which can separate us).’
The following handed-down analogy sets forth the detail in a seemingly strange and possibly distressful fashion:
The Way manifests in the madman screaming, ‘If the stars are not words, then stop calling them stars.’
Some things can only be (truly) understood by witnessing – whether it be of this Earth and the living story thereof, or in a glimpse of heaven.
Both levels of…(?) existence have commonalities, and there are many means by which to make this world a better place. Albeit, all meaningful ways as such are inclusive of these things: True Freedom, aka the accumulation of light and lightness, and its almost-unblemished and/or genuinely unblemished true love and true responsibility of universal compassion and healthfully-balanced empathy. As said, there are many means by which to make the world a better place – but all meaningful ways, to be exact, are inclusive of this level of grace and the freedom to artfully appreciate what we have.”
All That's Written ... 
Lucy and Glen, thank you for a thoroughly enjoyable post!
Glen, I must say, that while reading your story about jogging around town, I felt lifted. It was as if I could feel the joy you felt and the total appreciation you have for the simplicity of life itself and what it offers. Like simple things, the type of things that money can’t buy and it was beautiful—and spiritual in a way.
Your words and philosophy are brilliant!
This is a meaningful interview by Lucy and Glen. Thoughtful and kind. Good luck with promotion and sales, Glen. Kharis Macey
Kharis, thanks for reading and the compliment.
(I’ve been trying to contact you. Please mail me.)
Thank you both for the interview!
Your welcome William. 🙂