I don't want to give it away just yet, because it's the opening story of the book. I will say that it's a true story from my corporate job and the line was meant to be derogatory by adding the phrase Happy Horseshit to something that traditionally has been valued, Mom and Apple Pie.
When I was researching for the book, I looked up the phrase and found this reference to Motherhood and Apple Pie. It ties back to World War II when soldiers overseas would answer "mom and apple pie" when asked what they missed about home. It also became the reply from soldiers in the United States when asked why they were going to war, "Mom and apple pie." It became a kind of shorthand to describe our way of life and American values of the day.
By adding Happy Horseshit to the phrase, the phrase is turned around and makes you question if it is describing something of value. Whereas soldiers would think no one could argue with the principles of Mom and Apple Pie, Happy Horseshit makes you think there is something amiss.
After you read my book, you will realize that I love the idea of Motherhood and being a mom, and the creativity it brings to our world. I love the idea of Apple Pie and it makes me think of business and the opportunities we have to build our ideal lifestyles by being small business owners. Finally, I'm a gardener, and we love Happy Horseshit because it makes things grow!
In the book we use the Motherhood, Apple Pie, Happy Horseshit (MAPHH) framework to help moms think about how the spend their time. In the MAPHH framework, Motherhood represents the time spent mothering and serving in roles that support the family. Apple Pie represents that time spent doing work in the business or designing the business to support family. Finally, Happy Horseshit represents the personal growth through taking care of yourself and creating Sacred Space to tap into your dreams.
Do you want to know how the offhand quip from someone making light of something important to me became the title of this book? Sign up below for all the pre-order fun as we look forward to sharing the book with you on May 4th.
