This is SO wonderful! Thank you for this post and for making this book! I hate parties too but feel I have learned a lot already from your post, can’t wait to read the book! I’m going to try to ping into the world now! 🥰
Aw Nirmitee, thank you so so much for saying that. I do feel like it would have been super helpful for me too. I feel like maybe I should still make a little manual with all the tricks I've learned to survive social anxiety! Big big hugs ☺️❤️❤️
Ani, your ability to share the deep feelings and experiences with tenderness and humour is a gift. Children’s books when done well (like Ping) distill the complex into easy to understand nuggets - which is even more necessary as the adult world piles ever more on our shoulders. Ping was and remains a reminder that social anxiety only limits and pushing through by focusing on the “ping” rather than the “pong” means staying present and ready to accept what may or may not occur. While Squareface is relatable I love that you chose to go with the action in the tile.
I laughed out loud when I got to the original title reveal: SQUAREFACE HATES PARTIES! Ha ha ha ha ha! I can relate. I don't *hate* parties, but I'm definitely more comfortable with one or two people than I am with a roomful of them. For me it isn't just fear of small talk or meeting people, though it's true those aren't my favourite things. It's also that I have sensitive antennae and I can feeeeeeeeel all the people around me, and sometimes it's almost too much. I love your ping/pong concept, btw. It's great.
I totally understand you! I honestly feel like the ULTIMATE way to interact with humans is the good ol' One-On-One. I feel like there's something that happens when there's two humans alone, together that cannot possibly happen in any other dynamic.
But these days I ADORE PARTIES WITH A PASSION because what I do is, I just manage to have one on one interactions with a bunch of people at different moments! So it's all great.
And I know what you mean about feeling people!!! It's like a superpower. And it can also be exhausting! So at the end of a very social day I always become a bit of a hermit crab. I think that's what us, sensitive people need! A bit of hermit time ❤️
It’s a beautiful life lesson you have written ! Thank you for sharing!
Thank you so so much Heather!
I feel like I needed to learn those life lessons myself! Then, I really wanted to share them. Thank you so much for being here.
Big hugs!! ❤️❤️❤️
This is SO wonderful! Thank you for this post and for making this book! I hate parties too but feel I have learned a lot already from your post, can’t wait to read the book! I’m going to try to ping into the world now! 🥰
Hahaha, you made me giggle.
I used to HATE parties too!! So much!!! They were like, my nightmare.
But now I really love them!
Not everyone has to love parties. But I feel like so many of us go about life and we want to do things and we don't do them because of fear.
And I think that's why I was writing.
Because I wanted to talk to people and I was so scared!
So I had to figure out a way ❤️
I hope you had some wonderful pings yesterday!
Big hugs ❤️❤️❤️
This is so so pure Ani and I wish I had a book like this when I was a child!
Aw Nirmitee, thank you so so much for saying that. I do feel like it would have been super helpful for me too. I feel like maybe I should still make a little manual with all the tricks I've learned to survive social anxiety! Big big hugs ☺️❤️❤️
That would be amazing Ani! Sending you all my wishes for your creative endeavors xx
this is so wholesome i feel warm inside ToT
Thnks for it <3
Aw Maru, thank you so so much for being here, and for writing!! ❤️❤️❤️
Ani, your ability to share the deep feelings and experiences with tenderness and humour is a gift. Children’s books when done well (like Ping) distill the complex into easy to understand nuggets - which is even more necessary as the adult world piles ever more on our shoulders. Ping was and remains a reminder that social anxiety only limits and pushing through by focusing on the “ping” rather than the “pong” means staying present and ready to accept what may or may not occur. While Squareface is relatable I love that you chose to go with the action in the tile.
Thanks for sharing your challenges and triumphs.
holly
I laughed out loud when I got to the original title reveal: SQUAREFACE HATES PARTIES! Ha ha ha ha ha! I can relate. I don't *hate* parties, but I'm definitely more comfortable with one or two people than I am with a roomful of them. For me it isn't just fear of small talk or meeting people, though it's true those aren't my favourite things. It's also that I have sensitive antennae and I can feeeeeeeeel all the people around me, and sometimes it's almost too much. I love your ping/pong concept, btw. It's great.
I totally understand you! I honestly feel like the ULTIMATE way to interact with humans is the good ol' One-On-One. I feel like there's something that happens when there's two humans alone, together that cannot possibly happen in any other dynamic.
But these days I ADORE PARTIES WITH A PASSION because what I do is, I just manage to have one on one interactions with a bunch of people at different moments! So it's all great.
And I know what you mean about feeling people!!! It's like a superpower. And it can also be exhausting! So at the end of a very social day I always become a bit of a hermit crab. I think that's what us, sensitive people need! A bit of hermit time ❤️
Thank you so much for writing! ☺️❤️❤️❤️
Oh yes, hermit time is a must!