In The Way of the Wind by Dino Carella, a manager named Ostro finds himself at the thought-provoking age of 50 trapped in a cause that he no longer feels dedicated to … and it’s taking a significant toll on his mental health. Then he’s fired.
So, he decides to go all-in with his reversal of fortune by traversing the Indian Reservations of America, his mother’s homeland, hoping to find the connection with the spirit of his ancestors who had communicated with him as a boy. With the help of a Native American spiritual guide and a clairvoyant, he experiences the human dimension that defies all expectations and becomes something transcendent. The Way of the Wind will inspire you with its journey to new beginnings in new lands.
Author Dino Carella writes what he knows. During his 28-year career as a corporate manager and board member, he eventually suffered the same burnout as the character he eventually created. Now he feels he has a much better understanding of what’s actually meaningful in life: Carella now works as a coach and writer in Rome and is prepared to share his findings with us not only through his novel but this intriguing question-and-answer opportunity.
Q: A man finds himself trapped inside his present life and starts to formulate an alternative plan. Please set up the story for us and tell us what happens to force the issue.
A: Ostro is a successful manager who has earned a career thanks to his determination to redeem his youth failures and turn them into professional successes. After years of grinding, his world of planning and control crumbles. He feels stuck in the relentless competitive race for productivity that has emptied his life of a higher meaning, and this is taking him closer and closer to a nervous breakdown. But, being a free spirit, this time he decides to listen to that voice that kept creeping in, that he can no longer avoid.
Q: Ostro sets out on a journey of a lifetime. Where does he go and what is he in search of?
A: Having received the redundancy letter, he decides to go across the Indian Reservations of America in Arizona, Utah, Wyoming and then to South Dakota, where he hopes to find the source of that vision that had marked him in his twenties when he “saw” an Indian boy running on a red road. His mother explained it was a way that natives refer to their spiritual path. He goes there to find a new vision, not knowing what he would find out.
Q: What would you say is the genre of this book?
A: Inspirational novel, a spiritual journey and adventure.
Q: What are the key themes in the book, expressed through Ostro’s journey?
A: That the research of a higher meaning is very personal and, as such, beyond any socially accepted narrative; but to find it, one must trust his intuition and not be afraid of the unknown, instead questioning the misleading way of competition and productivity as value in itself. There is also a focus on the potential risks the theory of positive thinking poses for people who try to adjust everything through mental habits rather than welcoming life as it comes. Believing is important to do. To be who we are we have to be open to listening to the truth that comes from within, one step at a time.
Q: Please explain the origin of Ostro’s name and tell us what the title of the book refers to.
A: His parents called him Ostro in gratitude to the wind that blew from the South. It had carried the boat, which they had boarded to run away from Libya following Gaddafi’s takeover, towards salvation. His name has also to do with him being a free spirit and is a good metaphor for the wind. So, the title of the book wants to evoke the liberating journey of a free spirit trapped for too long in a condition that could no longer fit him.
Q: Tell us the significance of John and Virginia. Who they are and why they are important to the story?
A: John is his spiritual guide who he met following his intuition. He allows him to recognize his gifts and encourages him to believe in what he sees and feels beyond so-called rationality; also to find his path with Virginia. The clairvoyant represents the “great mother”, the “dark matter” that holds everything together, although it can neither be seen nor measured in any way but only experienced when one is ready to surrender to the unknown with trust.
Q: What was it like writing a book of this nature? Tell us about the experience and the most challenging part of the book to write.
A: Writing this book has been a total discovery. Initially, I intended to write my own story. Then, I realized that I was the one following Ostro on his journey and writing it as if he was telling me what to say. The hardest part was getting into the role of the writer and being open to hearing what Ostro had to say rather than telling him what to do as, like him, I spent a little less than thirty years planning, managing and controlling.
Q: What would you hope readers take away from reading this book?
A: A liberating feeling that inspires them to go live their life, however weird and scary the unknown might look like and whether or not that fits the socially accepted narrative and conditioning.
Q: What is your next project?
A: I continue to follow Ostro along his path, discovering as we go while the typing takes place. My aim is to publish his next journey by the end of 2022. That’s scary, isn’t it?
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About Dino Carella:
Dino Carella is a former corporate manager and board member with 28 years of international experience, primarily in financial services. He is now dedicated to coaching and writing. He is the author of The Way of the Wind.
During his career, he experienced recognition and success, but also the effects of burnout. He knows how it feels to be stuck in the wheel of productivity with social, financial and family commitments, yet also how liberating it is to surrender to life as is. Pursuing one’s own spiritual path is not a “nice to have” but a necessary condition to shift the sense of our presence from being mere executors with “roles” and “duties” to more aware, fulfilled, productive and impactful individuals. Awareness is key.
