Now O’ Clock by William Garcia

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This is the inspirational story of my journey toward this revision of Now O’ Clock. With respect to your own pursuits, it may very well be a similar story and a similar journey. Mine started in 1987 when I invented a board game called The Suppeenah Man: Copyright Registration Number / Date: TXu000301943 / 1987-10-29. It is a simple game of progression where being served with process could force you to go to court, pay a fine and or go to jail. At the time, I was fortunate enough, and out of the blue, to get a call from a reporter who discovered that a local man (me) had been awarded a copyright certificate from the library of congress, for a board game. He contacted me, came to my house, interviewed me and published my story in the Miami Herald Business Monday, November 28, 1988. Unfortunately, I did not have the $90,000.00 needed to take advantage of the free publicity. So, I shelved the idea. Who knows, maybe one day something may yet come of it.

In that same year and with ink laced with tears from a broken heart, the force of life moved me to write poetry. I was faced with the hurt and sadness of divorce from my first wife and the relocation of my son. Writing poetry served as a faucet by which I was able to regulate my emotions and ease my mind.

Soon after, the idea of sharing my poetry occurred to me. So, I entered an online poetry contest and never got a response. I was a little discouraged, but I was still motivated to share my work, but how.  I needed a medium by which to do this and in 1991, I found it in a concept I called “Poartry”, the marriage between poetry and art. This medium would be in the form of full colored, high-quality Posters.

I had already written the perfect poem, Lady Feminique, and it would be the first exemplification of “Poartry”. So, I started a publishing company named Willhe Publishing, Inc. and Lady Feminique would be the featured poster. Unfortunately, the fuel that inspired me to write was different from the fuel needed to be a businessman. Mine was not an online business and selling was not one of my strengths; at least not ” arm’s length” selling. Soon after this discouraging realization, I was out of business and Willhe Publishing, Inc. was dissolved.

Still, all was not lost. In 1992, I became a single parent when my ex-wife gave me full custody of our son. Life had taken on a new meaning and the rest is “GoodStory”.

In 2005, and while she slept, my beautiful wife Marilyn, mother to our beautiful twin daughters, slipped out of her broken body and into the eternal awakening on the other side of Time, in heaven. Five days earlier, our daughters had just turned 11 years old, and from the time Mom got sick, to that day and beyond, life had a sober meaning we had to get used to and it was hard. Difficult as it was, Time revealed to us that as much as we had lost, our cup was still full.

Before Mom got sick, I had started to write inspirational quotes that I would use to create a calendar but ran out of inspirational fuel after 295 quotes. I needed 365. So, I went back to writing poetry and wrote what would be the inspiration to the first edition of Now O’ Clock; the poem titled Now. This was in 2009.

I liked this poem so much that I was inspired to dust off an old idea, “Poartry” and start a new one, “Arttextry”, the marriage between Art and text. Now, I could use the quotes I had written to create inspirational posters of quotes and poems. I would have two stars, to begin with, Lady Feminique and Now. I already had copyrights for both and was now thinking about protecting my quotes. The search for the kind of protection I needed led me to the writing of Now O’ Clock. In its writing I was able to use some of my best quotes, quotes I would use to create Arttextry.

In October 2011, I started Arttextry.com, Inc. where I displayed and sold inspirational/motivational posters. Of course, Lady Feminique and Now are my favorites. Soon enough, I had spent my last few dollars producing the website, engaging artist to do work-for-hire, producing posters and after which I had no cash left to complete the entire collection, much less start a marketing campaign. I don’t know if you know, but marketing is very expensive. It was way more than I could afford. I kept my window open to the internet public for as long as financially feasible. Perhaps, one day soon I will reopen that window.

In 2012, Now O’ Clock was published. Days, months and years passed by and neither my Arttextry or my book was selling. The thought of revising Now O’ Clock crossed my mind but I ran over it with a Mack Truck. The idea caused my brain to cramp. “No way Jose”, I told myself. Writing another book was a daunting task that required, discipline, sacrifice, patience and hard work and I had since become discouraged, disinterested, distracted and lazy. No way was I going to go “there” again. Besides, in my life, too much was happening too fast. I had become busier than a one-legged man in an ass-kicking contest. I desperately needed to slow down and catch my breath.

In 2013, I had the good fortune of meeting Gus Castellanos, MD., a retired Neurologist. Listen to this, it was the word “Now” that connected us. I was in the office of the risk manager at the Mercy hospital. I was there to subpoena hospital records, and while the document was being reviewed, I noticed the lady was listening to soundscapes and the word “Now”, in big bold letters, was on her computer screen. I told her that I had written a poem with that as its title. That is when she mentioned Dr. Castellano. She said he was into that kind of “thing”. She gave me his email address, I contacted him, we met and he introduced me to Mindfulness Meditation; the kind of “thing” he was into. Dr. Castellanos is a master teacher who became my mentor, and I have been learning and practicing Mindfulness ever since.

Still, my restless mind found something else to do. I would become a professional Life coach and, in 2014, I was certified. Then it occurred to me that I may be good at being a public speaker, a motivational speaker. So, I did a speech for the Phoenix Center for Healing here in Miami. The speech is titled (link to video speech with the same title) Slow Down. As you can see, I kept changing outfits, but I was always dressed. I knew where I wanted to go, but had no financial means of getting “there”.

One day in 2015 while I meditated, Now O’ Clock, again, crossed my mind and this time I embraced the idea of revising it. So, I planted my butt on my chair, started to write, and here we are. Yes way, Jose and I did go “there.”This, I attribute to Mindfulness.

Being honest with myself,I did not put my heart into the first writing of Now O’ Clock and because I did not, I was less than proud of it. So, I asked my publisher to remove what copies there were out there and to terminate the title. In the revised edition you will see that my heart, my mind and my soul is in it.

What a journey. I invented a board game, The Suppenah Man, created a poster, Lady Feminique and a concept, Poartry, started a home business, Willhe Publishing, Inc. from which to sell my Poatry, replaced the old concept, Poartry with a new concept, Arttextry: Inspirational/ Motivational Posters, started an online business, Arttextry.com, Inc. (closed) from which to sell my Arttextry, wrote and published my first non-fiction book titled Now O’ Clock, became a Certified Professional Life Coach, did a speech and now I have written and published this new and revised edition of Now O’ Clock.

Evidently, I have a creative mind and a passion for doing what I do. Most importantly however, is that I believe in myself and in what I do. Obviously, I would like to be in the business of helping people, people like you, in one way or another and through one medium or another. Unfortunately, in each case I had gotten all dressed up, had in mind places to go, but no financial means to get “there”. In each case, I always knew I did not have the means needed to get “there”. But that did not STOP me from getting dressed or discouraged me from staying dressed. The proof is in the many outfits I’ve donned over the years: Civil Deputy Sheriff, Inventor, Poet, Concept Creator, Entrepreneur, Author, Life Coach, Speaker and all this while dressed as a single parent(my best outfit).

Listen, it has been my experience that there is a cost associated with offering to help people in the ways I would like. I’m also aware that the universe doesn’t always conspire with us when or in ways we would prefer. When that happens, as it has with me, I still have to think. I still have to believe in myself and I still have to keep an open mind to “Thought occurrences”. This time around, I not only wear many hats. Now, I am more mindful, in control, able to set my own pace and always expecting that something good will happen today, to me or to someone I love.  

That being so, there are at least 5 billion people on this planet who do not know me or the media through which I can help. You were one of them, and like me, you have your own inspirational story; your own journey. So, I encourage you, that if you’re not dressed, get dressed and stay dressed. You never know when opportunity will knock on your door and take you “there”. This is when readiness meets opportunity. I also encourage you to be patient because the achievement of goals NEVER arrive too late as long as you have the mindful capacity and the awareness to appreciate what it means to your life.

Hopefully, this time I will be able to get “there” with what is, to me, far more valuable than capital: your help, that of your friends and family, yours and their Shares, Follows, Tweets, Likes and most importantly, your Reviews on Amazon.com. I’m already dressed. So, thanks in advance.

You know, I reflect on the many short trips on my enduring journey in Time and I don’t see failure as so many do. Here is a quote I live by.”Think of failure as nothing more than a temporary experience. It is not a permanent condition or a terminal disease. Experience it, and then let it go. Survive it, and try again. Nothing scares away failure, more than another try. Nothing is more attractive to success than courage; the courage to try again.” Meanwhile, the journey of my life continues to be paved with many, many valuable emotional experiences lived while in pursuit of my goals, worthy goals; a Life best lived. Read my definition of Success and you will understand what I mean.

This revision of Now O’ Clock, I believe, is a more mindful and beneficial read than the first. There is something here for almost anyone. I believe there is something here for you. Thanks.

Order your copy now. Enjoy.