Inspo Behind Eighteen Inches 9/11/20

In my first book Letters, to the Men I Have Loved I shared the story of how I learned the concept of Eighteen Inches, which is the average distance between the heart and the head in most adult humans. Every decision we make is based on Eighteen Inches. Learning this concept impacted me deeply because up to then I had lived only making decisions with my heart! Since publishing my first book I knew I wanted to expand on this concept, but it took me a few years to muster the courage to express the vulnerability this concept required. I finally did write it and it was extremely liberating. It’s as if for the first time I looked at my soul in a mirror and accepted all of me. I accepted experiences of past traumas, pain, death purpose, and love. I cried many times while writing certain parts, I still cry when I re-read it. I’ve been blessed at having experienced such amount of growth and understanding, even when pain was part of the journey. Throughout the writing process I was also able to understand the power of my decisions. In the end a lot of who we become is based on the decisions we make. It is my hope Eighteen Inches does for the reader what it did for me…liberated, inspired, and healed.

When I asked for growth

why was I surprised that I was given rain? 

When I asked for friendship

why was I torn

when the weeds

were pulled from my flowerbeds?

When I asked for courage

why did I fear

when the day of battle came?

When I asked for love

why did I cry

when I had to face pain?

Sincerely,

Mirtha Michelle Castro Mármol