Broken Stools

We've all fallen off a stool-metaphorically speaking. Some of us have done it literally.

Kirk Sheppard has done both, repeatedly. In this collection of fifty-two stories, he explores what happens when life knocks us off our perches and discovers that the opposite of humility isn't confidence-it's certainty.

From getting rejected twice from counseling school (then earning two degrees anyway) to calling his mother at forty-two for financial help, from watching lightning destroy a teacher's only way home to being inducted into a wrestling Hall of Fame for failing gracefully, Sheppard discovers that our most humbling moments often become our best teachers.

With the insight of a therapist and the self-deprecating humor of someone who still doesn't know what a cultivator does despite driving one for years, Broken Stools offers weekly reflections on becoming "right-sized" in the world-neither too big nor too small, but exactly who we are.

Inside you'll find:

52 weekly stories about falling down and getting back up

Reflection questions to recognize humility in your own life

Simple practices that turn cringe-worthy moments into growth

The comfort of knowing someone else has failed spectacularly too

This isn't about perfection or false modesty. It's about the radical act of admitting we don't have it all figured out-and discovering that's exactly where wisdom begins.

Perfect for readers who:

Appreciate humor mixed with hard-won wisdom

Want bite-sized chapters they can read in one sitting

Are tired of self-help books that pretend life is tidy

Need permission to be imperfect

If you've ever felt like you're the only one who doesn't have it together, this book is for you.