Tentative Beginning

"The wind picked up as my guru’s ashes were released to the river Ganges, becoming one with the wind, the water, the earth. Looking around at the thousands of people taking part in this ceremony, I wiped a tear from my cheek with the corner of my beaded sari. How, I wondered, could one man have transformed so many lives?"
No, no. I can’t possibly start the book there. Nobody knows who my guru was, or why I was at his funeral. How about:
"Alone on the beach, I sprawled out on my back, rubbing my bald head into the soft sand and relishing the new sensation. The full, glowing pearl in the sky smiled at me, unleashing a shock of muted rainbow colors from her face to the Pacific Ocean below."
But how will readers know that my life hadn’t always been perfection, or why I had no hair? That, even though my time in Hawaii had been heavenly, I had to return to the mainland to find my next step? Maybe a better place to start is the beginning of my travels.
"Two golden domes loomed on the horizon, bidding me welcome to Fairfield, Iowa: the field of possibilities."
But why were there golden domes? What was I doing in Iowa? I would have to clarify my past to explain my adventure.
Maybe I should start at the ending and work my way backwards.
"I sat atop a massive rock overlooking the virgin pine forests of California. My book was nearing completion, and I wanted to write the last words as the sun set. The sky was painted with a magnificent spread of red, orange, and purple; and, as the sun sank into the hills, I penned my last two words: 'The Beginning.'"
Yes, that’s nice. But it doesn’t give anyone understanding of how I got there or what I had accomplished to write a book.
I am not normally assumed to be an author. I am young, dynamic, and adventurous, but the stereotype that I most often find myself fighting is “Miss All-America,” or, even worse, “typical”- ironic, as I spent so many years of my life trying to be just that.
I have exceeded normalcy, or any other category, really, through an unforeseen, mind-boggling adventure that transformed my body, mind, and spirit. I first remember contemplating this book as I ate sushi in Tokyo, hours before completing my unexpected circumnavigation of the globe. “But where do I start?” I wondered. “What is significant? How do I show who I am, and why this journey is so important?"
Eventually, I catalogued my experiences into the form of a book, from the start of my travels to the days spent scribing words onto the pages. My book was already lengthy, and I was satisfied with my work until two nights after I printed out the manuscript for my family to review.
It was Halloween, warm for October, and my sister, Clare, and I were lying on the still-green grass in Boulder. The clouds parted to reveal a sky of glimmering stars, and I wordlessly made a wish about my book: to hear an honest opinion; for constructive criticism and reassurance. Soon after I released my desire, Clare turned to me and asked, “Can I tell you something about your book, honestly?”
“I wouldn’t want to hear it any other way,” I responded, preparing for a grand, and possibly disheartening, revelation. My sister is the mirror of my soul, and her opinion matters above everyone else’s. I trust her to tell me the whole truth, so I braced myself for her criticism.
“I’ve been trying to find the right word for it.” She hesitated, and then continued, “Your story is… captivating. And it’s droll. I’ve never read anything like it. It’s fast-paced and entertaining, but it’s just about the past year and a half. Since I’ve always known you, I understand who you are and how you relate to the world, but nobody else does. You need to explain who you were before all of this happened to you. You don’t clarify who your family is and how we’ve affected you. I feel… one dimensional, like a mere cameo. I need to be explained, because I haven’t always been this person, either. You have to tell the story of who you were before, in order to convey the magnitude of all that you’ve done. Remember- you have an unlimited number of pages.”
Advice like that can only be taken to heart. I had felt that the book was lacking in something, and Clare articulated what I knew was missing: a basis of character, an explanation of how magnanimous it is for a person like me to have experienced all that I have. I fear giving the impression of believing that my life is exceptionally important, because that would be wildly inaccurate. Everyone’s life has equal value- I am just compelled to share my story, because it has never been told in full context. I knew that I have a tale that is begging to be transcribed, and I had thought that that would be enough. But I am the culmination of every event in the lives of my ancestors and myself, and my past is just as important as my present.

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And so it begins. This is, obviously, followed by a synopsis of my previous life. I'm wondering what kind of impression this gives a potential audience, as the first two pages of my book. Feedback would be appreciated!