Welcome to Fall 2020 – where it seems both imperative and often impossible to find our voices amid this catastrophic time. But voices do matter – and I am grateful that on this 6th anniversary of the publication of my memoir, I recently spoke my story into a new kind of life: The Coconut Latitudes is finally available as an Audible audiobook! Here is the link on Amazon.
Even in this period of global pandemic, political and racial upheaval and wildfires, mother nature is settling into Fall. And no matter what we’re doing – whether schooling children, voting, making art, or just plain managing to get out of bed in the morning (truly, just getting up often counts as a major accomplishment) – we’re all carrying on as best we can. And there is much to be grateful for.
I am thankful to live near great walking trails. With the “Thrive Tribe,” a group of likeminded friends, we hike regularly (masked and properly distanced), and those outings bring a sense of needed community. Additionally, local art groups provide opportunities to explore imagery, enter competitions, and get together (in Zoom gatherings) to discuss our projects. And nature provides daily reminders of life’s cycles. These days local wild turkeys and deer meander nearby and geese waddle in the regional park. Ospreys and pelicans hunt just beyond the shoreline, and great blue herons pose as still as statues by water’s edge. Just watching wildlife calms my soul when it seems that little else makes sense.
The new audiobook has also brought fresh visibility – I was interviewed this month by Kristi Maggio, an educator with a radio show in the Dominican Republic. I was also invited as a guest at a virtual book launch for Maria Trusa, who wrote I Say No More – an inspirational memoir about her unlikely beginnings from poverty and abuse in the Dominican Republic to a successful career in the U.S. And I am exploring having The Coconut Latitudes translated into Spanish.
What are your ways of coping in these trying times? I hope you will share some of your “thriving techniques” as we approach an uncertain new year. Wishing everyone good health, courage, and a voice to tell your story.
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