Mind Platter

by Najwa Zebian

Overview

From celebrated Lebanese-Canadian poet and speaker, Najwa Zebian, comes this revised and expanded edition of her debut collection.

Mind Platter is a compilation of reflections on life as seen through the eyes of an educator, student, and human who experienced her early days in silence. It is written in the words of a woman who came from Lebanon to Canada at the age of sixteen and experienced what it was like to have fate push her to a place where she didn't belong. It is written in the voice of every person who has felt unheard, mistreated, misjudged, or unseen.

The book contains over 200 one-page reflections on topics we encounter in our everyday lives: love, friendship, hurt, inspiration, respect, motivation, integrity, honesty, and more. Mind Platter is not about the words it contains, but what the reader makes of them. May this book give a voice to those who need one, be a crying shoulder for those who yearn for someone to listen, and inspire those who need a reminder of the power they have over their lives.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781449492878
Publisher:	Andrews McMeel Publishing
Publication date:	03/27/2018
Pages:	224
Sales rank:	298,446
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 8.60(h) x 0.70(d)

About the Author

Najwa Zebian is a Lebanese-Canadian author, speaker, and educator. Her passion for language was evident from a young age, as she delved into Arabic poetry and novels. The search for a home—what Najwa describes as a place where the soul and heart feel at peace—was central to her early years. When she arrived in Canada at the age of sixteen, she felt unstable and adrift in an unfamiliar place. Nevertheless, she completed her education, and went on to become a teacher as well as a doctoral candidate in educational leadership. Her first students, a group of young refugees, led her back to her original passion: writing. She began to heal her sixteen-year-old self by writing to heal her students. Since self-publishing her first collection of poetry and prose in 2016, Najwa has become an inspiration to millions of people worldwide. Drawing on her own experiences of displacement, discrimination, and abuse, Najwa uses her words to encourage others to build a home within themselves; to live, love, and create fearlessly.

Table of Contents

Introduction xiii

You Are the Sun 1

Power 2

Rest Your Heart 3

Think of Me Too 4

Let the Mask Fall Off 5

Stay True to Yourself 6

Broken Wings 7

Be Sought 8

Respect Me 9

Be Considerate 10

Take Responsibility 11

An Ironic Reward for a Beautiful Heart 12

Feel Me 13

Lifelong Learning 14

Take the Lead 15

Change 16

Be Honest with Me 17

The Way They Treat You 18

Simplicity Is the Key 19

Reason 20

Priorities 21

Care for My Soul 22

Don't Be Shallow 23

Contentment 24

The Power of Silence 25

Philosophy of Life 26

Invest Your Feelings Wisely 27

Forgive and Forget 28

Be Content 29

Be True to Yourself 30

Overanalyzing Kindness 31

The Vicious Cycle of Rudeness 32

A Heart That Cannot Feel 33

Pamper Your Wishes 34

Know Your Power 35

Dream Wisely 36

A Dialogue with Myself 37

Happiness Is in Your Hands 38

Trust? 39

Where Am I? 40

A New Language 41

Baby Steps 42

Delusion 43

Wholeheartedness 44

Free 45

We Are in This Together 46

Through Their Eyes 47

The Journey 48

The Heart's Aches 49

Happiness Perfected 50

Let Me Be Your Weakness 51

Too Proud 52

Childhood Nostalgia 53

Questions Unanswered 54

Be a Treasure 55

It's Time to Change 56

Want Me 57

Lead Your Heart 58

Follow Your Soul 59

My Philosophy 60

Break Free from the Illusion of Power 61

Hollow Hopes 62

Common Sense? 63

Dreams Unfinished 64

No One's Watching 65

An Enigmatic Feeling 66

Be the Master 67

Know Yourself 68

Don't Make Me Wait 69

The Nature of Life 70

Blurry Lines 71

New Chances 72

Silver Lining 73

The Quest for Reasons 74

Life, Simplified 75

A Wish Come True 76

A Step Forward 78

Why I Believe 79

The Right Thing 80

The Power of Ownership 81

Will You Dare to Ask? 82

Don't Lose Track 83

Broken Promises 84

Sincerely, My Heart 85

Thoughts Unexpressed 86

Goodness Gone Wrong? 87

Be Sensitive 88

Let Go 89

Decide 90

Inspire 91

Transparent Heart 92

Intuition 93

Mature Decisions 94

Believe 95

What If 96

A Battle to Win 97

Contemplating Happiness 98

Listen to Your Heart 99

Disappointed 100

Between the Lines 101

Avoidance 102

The Language of Silence 103

The Rare You 104

The First Step 105

A Moment In Between 106

A Serene State of Mind 107

Take That Step 108

Beyond What Your Eyes See 109

Dream 110

Write Your Happiness 111

Figuring You Out 112

Moments to Live For 113

What Would You Do? 114

In Case You've Ever Wondered 115

Take It or Leave It 116

Educate Me 117

Human Me 118

Read My Silence 119

I Deserve It 120

Never Doubt 121

Perspective 122

When You Lose Hope 123

Open Your Eyes 124

I Wonder 125

Better Places 126

The Power of Words 127

Never Settle 128

Seal My Lips 129

Negative Intentions 130

Together 131

Wake Up to the Darkness 132

Sometimes 133

Know Yourself 134

The Other Side 135

Close Your Door 136

Unjustified Excuses 137

Past What You See 138

Lesson Learned 139

Take Care 140

That Path 141

Accept Yourself 142

It's You 143

The Little Things 144

Your Opinion of Me 145

No Time to Waste 146

The Gift of Gentleness 147

Choose Happiness 148

Imagine 149

Pure 150

Respect Me 151

Take Care of You 152

A Fateful Sky 153

The Stars Within 154

Smile 155

Reframe Gratitude 156

People Who Are Good for You 157

Soul Food 158

Moonless Nights 159

Just a Moment 160

A New Look 161

Grow Stronger 162

A Little Wiser 163

All About You 164

Love 165

Goodness Is a Choice 166

Take a Step Back 167

Say Something 168

Unconditional Love? 169

Work Hard 170

How Dare You 171

Your Inner Beauty 172

Heal 173

Dusty Bookshelf 174

Excuses 175

Unspoken Words 176

Invisible 177

Lost 178

Hanging by a Thread 179

Fate Tells Me 180

You Are What You Give 181

The New Normal 182

If I Get Under Your Skin 183

Shake It Off 184

Just One Choice 185

Who Are You Trying to Impress? 186

A Castle of My Own 187

Make a Difference 188

Trust Me 189

Dream Your Journey Away 190

Age and Wisdom 191

Choose Beauty 192

A Taste of Your Own Medicine 193

Listen 194

Understand Me 195

The Best in Me 196

Doors Unlocked 197

Change 198

A Sunset You Dread 199

It's Not You 200

Let Go 201

Clarity 202

Choose 204

Acknowledgments 205

About the Author 207