SOUTHBRIDGE — Southbridge native Linda Commito has found 111 ways that those around her are making positive differences. Commito has published her first book, “Love is the New Currency,” and will be reading from the book at 7 p.m. on Friday, June 10 at the Quinebaug Valley Council for the Arts at 111 Main St. The event is free and she will be donating a percentage of the proceeds to Quinebaug.
“A little over two years ago, I was feeling such despair every time I watched the news,” she said. “I asked myself if this is what the world is all about. A part of me wanted to just find an island somewhere and ‘check out’. It’s really hard to watch negative news all of the time. While I was doing meditation, I heard this message, ‘Love is the New Currency,’ and I thought, ‘What am I supposed to do with that?’” By mere chance or “synchronistic events,” as she put it, she began meeting people that gave her inspiration as to what was hopeful in the world. The people she met began to find meaning and ways to transform their lives in these tough economic times.
“I started collecting stories and interviewing people,” she said. “That’s how these collections of stories began. The book is really about how people are expressing their love and kindness and making a difference in the lives of others. It’s creating a new measure of wealth. It’s a currency of love. It’s realizing that material things aren’t really the most important things. What we really have of value to offer is ourselves – our gifts of love, our expressions of kindness, and our unique ways of expressing what we have in the world.”
The book contains 10 chapters, each with a theme. Some of the stories were completely
written by Commito and others were submitted to her, which she then edited.
…“I would interview people and get the gist of what they were saying,” she said. “I would send the story to them to make sure the facts were correct. Other times, people would send their stories to me. I would do some editing and small corrections, but I give full credit to those who sent me the stories.”
One example of how others are spreading their good nature is a restaurant in San Francisco, Karma Kitchen, where patrons receive their bill which reads, “This bill has been paid for by someone who ate here before you. If you would like to spread the kindness, please consider paying for someone else’s meal.”
“There is a whole ripple effect that is going on throughout the whole book of how people are
doing kind acts,” she said. “The ripple effects are not only for the people who are participating, but for the people who are getting to witness it or even hearing about the stories. I was going to a volunteer meeting, when I shared what I was doing with a couple of friends and as a result, one of those friends decided to become a Big Brother.” That same friend, who is a real estate agent, received a stimulus check for $250 and matched that amount with his own money and took it to his local food bank. “People are so touched by the stories that other people are doing that they are creating their own ripple effects,” she said in a happy tone.
For more information about Commito and her book, go to loveisthenewcurrency.com. The book is also available on amazon.com.
Adam T. Silva may be
reached at 508-909-4050 or
by email at asilva@stonebridgepress.com.
Speak Your Mind