This self-discovery comes out in River of Awareness, Sims’ first book. He effectively uses his personal experience and knowledge from all across the globe to share his discoveries and reflections on love, life, self and true happiness. He seeks to inspire and encourage the pursuit of these very important aspects of our lives, and succeeds.

{sa 2896461221}If there was one word to express the topic of River of Awareness, it would be “love.” Early in his search, Sims found the happiest people were not necessarily the ones with the most money or possessions, but the ones who put others first, finding that even in the worst conditions there is joy and hope blossoming. Everything in the book comes back to this central theme, whether it is about loving others, nature or, sometimes the hardest of all, loving yourself.

He writes about his own life and experiences, using these to aid people on similar quests for wholeness, discussing our need for change, our feelings, healing, good and evil, blame, guilt, justice, relationships, death and many other issues that affect our state of happiness.

Despite talking about himself, this is not an autobiography. It is the story of all the people who are searching for happiness. Supporting and building upon Sims’ reflections are quotes and stories from people of various backgrounds and religious beliefs and quotations from religious books such as the Bible. He illustrates very clearly that even though we have completely different points of view in some ways, diverse people hold many of the same values. People from all religions can relate to the search for genuine happiness and the message to love your neighbour is echoed across the globe.

My younger brother, taking a quick glance at the title of the book, looked at me in surprise and asked if I was reading a book called The River of Awesomeness. Although he had misread the title, maybe the change isn’t so incorrect. Really, finding the path to happiness is simply that: awesome. Sims helps clear away some of the confusion to help us find that very awesome path.

Sims writes in a way that is very easy to understand, not limiting the book’s wisdom to philosophers or scholars, but to the everyday person. He is very open about his life, and even though I cannot always relate to his specific experiences, the underlying feelings are ones most people have experienced.

This book is an inspirational read for anybody who wants to explore the path to happiness, whether they are 17 or 75. As a teen, I really enjoyed it, and I will definitely pick it up again, as encouragement in times of worldly woes or to help with my own personal reflections.

River of Awareness will help bring clarity in your searching and help you get started on your own adventure of love.

(Hermack, 17 is a Grade 12 home-schooled student in Grand Bay-Westfield, N.B.)