Cruising through The Teens, Easier Than It Seems

By Gerald Schaefer

Cruising through the Teens, Easier Than It Seems, written by Jerry Schaefer and illustrated by Gabriel Berron, is a concise self-help guide for teens to look inward and learn to quiet their sometimes chaotic psyches, which the author refers to as "soothing the waves crashing over the rocks." Schaefer offers much-needed help to today's teenagers, leading them to more significant and more meaningful self-awareness. The advice is palatable and not preachy, with a style that shouldn't be off-putting to adolescents. The thrust of the book is that the answers teens seek lie inside, but often the chatter of social media, technology, and rushed bombardment of other stimuli can deafen their inner voice. They need me-time, alone-time, a chance to recharge and think about who they are and what they want.

Cruising through the Teens, Easier Than It Seems, is an educational book that offers brilliant ideas to help young adults experiencing struggles in their lives. Some young adults tend to think way more than necessary about situations that have happened already, such as troubling conversations they had in the past. Some also love to think about things that have not even happened yet. They have a habit of dwelling in the past or the future more than they should, which creates struggles that weren’t even there in the first place. However, beyond this struggle, there’s this hidden part inside you, and that is your true identity. Your true identity is something beyond suffering. You are unaware of this because of the constant thoughts that run in your head. This encouraging book can help to uncover that hidden part of you that could positively change your teen years!

Cruising through the Teens, Easier Than It Seems, can be an inspiration for them. The situations mentioned are relatable and real. The ideas presented are easy to understand and can be helpful in gaining a different view of life. Some of the ideas could even be enlightening, and the meaningful but straightforward illustrations are delightful and help to get the message across. They also make the reading more enjoyable.

Schaefer has written the perfect book for teenagers searching for inner understanding or a way to know themselves. Once that is underway, it's "cruise control." Cruise control doesn't mean happy sailing at all times. Teens can and will experience ups and downs, but the tips in this book can better equip them to deal with these as they arise. The author gives examples, explaining what interior monologue is and how teens can self-talk their way into more positive experiences and results.There are chapters on expectations, those of parents and teens, and how they can create clashes and disorder. The discussions on normalcy, perfection, being present, ego, bullying, judging, etc., are what teenagers need to hear because so many seem directionless and in turmoil. There are kernels of wisdom and advice packed into this little book, using an easy, approachable style readers can relate to. Even though the author says his book isn't for everyone, it could be that Cruising through The Teens, Easier Than It Seems should be in the hands of every teenager today.

This is a self-help book that lives up to its name: the author tells teens to go inside themselves for the answers to their problems. The key is to quiet the "chattering mind," with its stream of thinking, most of it repetitive and useless. The girl, waiting for her date, has a disaster-prone monologue in her head. Schaefer gives tips on how to create gaps in thoughts, and access true wisdom.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Gerald Schaefer
• Release date: Oct 7, 2021
• ISBN: 9781605715483

Gerald Schaefer

Schaefer grew up in Cut Bank, Montana, a town close to Alberta, Canada, Glacier National Park, and the Blackfoot Indian Reservation. His best friend at St. Margarets school was a Blackfoot, "Beaver" Bird. The Bird family offered a window into a different version of family life, one very different from the German/Scandinavian one he inhabited. Beaver's mother, Wizzie," seemed to be always happy, smiling and laughing.He attended St. Norbert High School, a Catholic boarding school in Wisconsin. He joined the Norbertine monastery after high school. Four years later, he joined the army for a short stint. After graduating from St. Norbert College in 1965, he studied theology at Marquette University. He taught theology at Ottumwa Girls'College for a semester then went to study at the University of Iowa.He and his wife divorced in 1974 while living in Madison, Wisconsin. He lived in Merrill, Wisconsin for a few years, becoming an amateur clown before moving to Long Beach, California in 1979. He left behind two young children. He remarried in 1981 and soon began teaching for the Los Angeles Unified School District, retiring in 2000.His first book, Women: Down Through The Ages, How Lies Have Shaped Our Lives, was published in 2007. In 2008 he read Eckhart Tolle's book, The Power of Now. He immediately realized that the problems he'd been having in his present marriage resulted from the constant stream of thoughts going on in his mind.Shortly thereafter, his wife had a hip replacement, then spinal surgery. In the aftermath of that, AZ appeared. And from 2013 till her death in 2018, he cared for her at home. He credits Tolle's influence, first for getting his marriage back on track, and then for transforming the experience of caring for his wife. He readily admits, "It would have been impossible for me to do it, without that perspective."That perspective is simply the realization that his identity is not the self that he parades before the world, but is contained within his "inner self," accessible in silence and stillness. When one gets in touch with that, it's "cruise control," as he alludes to in the book for teens.Tolle's influence is on display in his writing. First, The Story of You, an illustrated book for young children, published in 2019.Again, Cruising through The Teens, Easier Than It Seems, in 2021. And, Isn't It Kind Of Funny That..., published in 2021.He loves to travel, going to Spain and France in 2019, to Australia in 2020. Wherever he went, he made it a point to check out the local discos. And dance.He presently lives in the Belmont Shore area of Long Beach. The Pacific Ocean is nearby, as are shops and restaurants. He walks to the weekly Farmers Market with his dog, Emma, a papillon rescue. The market is near a large grassy area. Local bands play, families picnic, kids from a nearby school come, and he gets a chance to indulge in his favorite activity, dance.Life is good.

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