The book is beautifully designed and printed — so the author's entreaty to 'take it with you, rough it up, give it away, record everything and get this book dirty' is a challenge in and of itself. That said, I promised myself that I'd follow the instructions and do my best.
It took a little while to get started, but once I stopped grieving over dirtying up the pages, something incredible happened. I took the beauty of its design as a challenge. I'd rough it up—and in so doing (hopefully) make it better. Make it mine.
Then the most amazing thing happened.
I stopped being self-conscious about completing its activities, about drawing and colouring and writing and all those things I haven't really done for far, far too long. And the result? I feel like my contributions, my 'small things', have made this book mine. My stories can stand alongside those of the contributors, who've done some pretty amazing things themselves.
At the end of the day, I enjoyed this book far more than I though I might—the author somehow transformed tasks that I hadn't made time for in many years into something I look forward to. Get it. Give it. Keep it. Just make sure you don't think it's too precious to beat up a bit. Because that's its charm.