Solitaire

This deeply personal memoir traces one woman's journey home to herself, guided by her soul's quiet but persistent calling to live a solitary, yet richly creative life.

Barbara was once celebrated for her success in the commercial world-at the helm of a thriving graphic design business and the creative force behind the global wine phenomenon, [yellow tail]. But at the height of her professional achievements, she chose to walk away from her business, her second marriage, and the carefully curated life she had built, for the sake of her spiritual well-being.

This book charts her path of inner transformation, illuminating universal concerns of the heart and the brave reckoning it takes to step off the well-trodden path when you realise you're not living your truth.

She writes:

"From the time we are born, we are on a journey. Many of us don't have the luxury of choosing which train we'll board, or when we might get off. In truth, choice is a privilege-and if you have it, you're one of the fortunate ones. I am one of those people. To choose-or not to-is much like Shakespeare's eternal question: 'To be, or not to be?' Do we follow the path laid out for us by others, or the one our soul longs to tread? I'm not offering a formula for success or a doctrine for manifesting your dreams-this book is simply a series of heartfelt stories, told in sequence, written over ten years. It's my truth, and I offer it with the hope that it might ignite something in you."

Through painting and prose, Barbara explores themes of longing, courage, and the quest for meaning. Her story takes a poignant turn when she is called back to care for her estranged first husband upon learning of his terminal illness. In choosing to walk beside him in his final days, she discovers the quiet power of forgiveness, surrender, and the redemptive grace that can emerge from deep love and loss.

Ultimately, the return to one of life's most tender and confronting arenas-marriage and companionship-offers her an unexpected kind of closure and clarity. A final answer, perhaps, to the great and mysterious game of life.