THE INTENTION BEHIND BEING BOOKS
Nothing to earn.
Room to simply be.
Stories can carry us somewhere extraordinary.
They can also bring us close to what is already here.
A beginning in connection.
Being Books began with Sam Friend’s belief that connection, presence and wholeness are natural to us. They are not qualities we must earn by becoming someone else.
The intention is to give that understanding a life in stories: in imagined worlds, ordinary affection, humour, uncertainty and moments of wonder. A child can enter for the adventure. The grown-up beside them may find something of their own there too.
The story comes first.
A little bird in a wide sky. Morning light moving across a room. And, in a new story still taking shape, a whale beneath a washing line. Particular things that invite us to notice, imagine and listen.
Every choice of word, voice and silence matters. The work continues to develop through writing, reading aloud and listening again.
An invitation, with room.
There is no required feeling at the end. Laughter, questions, movement and rest all belong. You can listen together, independently, in the middle of a busy day or at its quiet edges.
Sam’s spiritual intention is to offer children space to rest in their natural sense of connection, and adults a chance to remember that same possibility. You do not need to share a particular belief to enjoy a story. Its meaning belongs to the person who meets it.
CREATED BY SAM FRIEND
Original writing. A familiar voice.
Part of OneFlow.