Next to the frozen peas…

A few weeks ago, I started getting phone calls and emails from people I know–and people I didn't yet know, but do now–excitedly telling me about finding Life is a Verb at their local grocery store.

The first call came from a woman I used to work with, but haven't seen in over 15 years (Sue, honey, if you're reading this, I wrote your phone number on a piece of paper that I have filed in an extraordinarily special and unknown place–please call again). She was shocked to look over in her DC-area Safeway store and see MY NAME peering out at her from the cover of a book.

After Sue's call, the emails started arriving from 37days readers and from people who had never heard of 37days, but who saw the book next to the pesto sauce and felt compelled to buy it. In the middle of nowhere in Nevada and in Florida and in D.C. and beyond.

Now let me be honest, my first thought was that I should have been more specific when modazzing to get this book out into the world. "I was thinking OPRAH, not frozen pea section," I thought to myself.

And then, my friends, I got over 100 emails from people about finding it in the grocery store, including one woman who was deeply despondent as she shopped and who read it cover to cover that night and found hope. Who am I to determine how this book gets into the hands of those who need it?

The subject line of one those emails, from Melissa, was: "Right there by the ice cream, cheese, and school supplies." Her email: "My local SAFEWAY is carrying LIAV!!!!!  My cell phone doesn't take pictures, or you'd have one. SAFEWAY–damn, girl–this might rival Oprah," she wrote. She made her partner, Bruni, go back to the store with her for the fabulous proof that accompanies this post.

I finally called the publisher to ask about this virus of LIAV sightings. Turns out, Life is a Verb is available in no fewer than 1,521 Safeway stores–and their affiliates–across this fine land of ours. I hope it will be a recipe for hope and joy for many more grocery shoppers.