Finally some warmth
Welcome to my digital home and my fifth post. Topics today include a book update, a crazy idea, and a milestone.
I forgot to add this topic: our recent Asia trip. It was wonderful! Vietnam, Singapore and Bali. I learned that of the Vietnamese people I spoke to, none harbored ill-will towards Americans about what they say was the “war of aggression against the Vietnamese people.” I asked a man who worked in a factory that hires descendants of those impacted by the chemical “Agent Orange” if he felt ill-will towards American because of his condition. He said his life and condition is all he knew and that he was just grateful to have work and to be doing what he loved. I learned in Singapore that of the people with whom we spoke, they are happy to trade away some perceived freedoms and loss of privacy in exchange for their clean, safe and orderly country that provides for everyone. And I learned in Bali that they revere their Hindu Gods and temples and have offerings for just about everyplace you go. That they actually stop to make an offering and blessing at the entrance to a 7-11 (yes they had them), is amazing. Good trip. Maybe an expanded blog later on the trip.
Tomorrow I am meeting my editor to review her first take on the manuscript. This is the beginning of the moment of truth. I am pretty sure she won’t say “start over” but I am anxious about grappling with 50,000-foot matters that may require serious re-thinking of my literary strategy. My goal is to take this imput and perhaps her next, more detailed edits and provide the updated manuscript to the wonderful people who have agreed to be beta reviewers. From there we move to the final line edits and updates before getting to the publisher (which one is still TBD). My eagerness to get it published is countered by sage advice to get it right.
I’m strongly noodling the idea of a line of elegant and beautiful note cards for expressions of gratitude, linked to the book. If there is one physical “thing” that stands out to me about the book that emanated from my mom’s teaching it was this: “always express gratitude for a gift or deed received by sending a hand written thank you note.” I am crazy enough to believe we can reverse the trend of the quickie thanks - with the advent of electronics/internel/email/texting - BACK to a personally penned expression of gratitude. If the cards gain traction, who knows? A line of clothing? What might that look like?
Lastly and most importantly, Tanya, my beloved, and I recently celebrated our 30thWedding Anniversary. I told her that upon reflection, not once did I ever think in all our years of marriage that we wouldn’t be married this long. We are profoundly blessed with two wonderful children and our good health. As we enter into this phase of our lives it is increasingly governed by five purposes: health, family, traveling, giving, and deaccumulation.