"Things InWould Say To Five Year Old Me" is a readable, relatable and palatable book of life lessons for young ones, and is also purposefully designed to allow for some positive reflection on the lives of the adults doing the reading, it's about understanding that we all have vast and varied experiences in this life, they make us who we are, and they all matter! This book was originally written as a therapeutic exercise. I had no idea that it would form a book, let alone a book that is for both children and adults. It was originally a jumbled group of passages, all with their own individual merits and themes, but when put together and organized correctly, they became something special. I've spent most of my adult life behind a bar and much of it in front of one. I catered to the needs of many different people, with many interesting experiences, cultivating relationships and just plain enjoying myself to the fullest extent. It wasn't a bad life but it left me unfulfilled. I've always been creative, but somewhere under the bar, I lost that aspect of my life. Unfortunately, towards the end of my tenure in the hospitality industry, I led myself down a dark path, and eventually to a fork in the road with only two outcomes: To the left was the end of friendships, loss of family, a poor finish to a reasonable legacy, and eventually and soon, a premature end of me. To the right was facing the fact that I had gone too deep into the rabbit hole, asking for the help that was needed and finding sobriety. Thankfully I chose the option to the right, and got sober, with the help of family and friends and a great therapist who asked me the question that started all of this: What would you say to 5-year-old you? And thus becoming the genesis of this book. I've always had an artistic side; photography, painting and a love of art in all its forms but I had never been able to write until I found sobriety. I reflected on life in general but more specifically about the hardships associated with young life and how to build strength and character. Lessons that aren't always taught but are ones you learn on a rocky road to becoming an adult. The result of all of this is a book for everyone, not just children but for all of us, to reflect on our lives and find focus on the positives, find an acceptance of the negatives and then realize that everything that we all go through happens for a reason. These are different for everyone but there is also a common ground that we all share wi