We finally got Tracy’s book published on Kindle last night…it has been much on my mind and has consumed most of the time I have allotted to writing. I’m very excited for her, and for having learned more about the process. Tracy is an engaging writer, and from the feedback we’ve received so far, it’s one of those books that’s hard to put down once you start. Not a long read, but for anyone with a heart, probably half a box of Kleenex. It costs $2.99 on Kindle…or Amazon…my own confusion here, but my assumption is that Kindle is owned by Amazon. And I also think you can download the book to most any computer, besides the iPads, Kindle readers, iPhones and all the other assorted devices filling our lives with faint blue light, connecting us with those distant from us, while at the same time isolating us from those around us. Interesting.
You can go directly to the book at http://www.amazon.com/dp/B006NM2976. We would appreciate any feedback you might have, and of course, would love to see some good reviews on the Kindle site. If you don’t happen to like the book, that too is fair, but I hope you might choose to be kind. In that vein, I did neglect to mention to Tracy one of the pitfalls of putting thoughts down into words. Because much of what you write will not be understood to mean what you thought it meant when you wrote it. It is not an easy thing, shaping into angular words the rounded edges of thoughts. And in a personal memoir, both those mentioned and those left out will have an opinion on what was said and why. And not everyone will be happy about it. At best, any memoir is one perspective of events that affect many, many people. So putting down into words what you personally think, feel, see, and experience is a daring and outrageous feat. I admire Tracy for her effort and her courage.
And I’m back on the merry-go-round here in Florida.
I didn’t even know I was on it before I left for Peace Corps, didn’t miss it while I slowly wound down in Belize, and barely understood when I hit the spinning platform landing in Fort Lauderdale. But I’m beginning to see it now, the flashing colors, people spinning by me on all sides at the speed of life. It’s not a good thing, nor a bad thing. It just is. In Belize, the pace was slower, my surroundings and contacts constricted, my access to the outside world limited by my own choice. Here, there is little private space or time. There is little to no value placed on quiet contemplation. Plenty of jokes of course, mad monks, contemplative whackos, a nod to religion for an hour or so on Sundays. But that too is most often filled with exhortation, bombast or pounding, pulsing rhythms and rhymes. (as an aside, I always seem to have to look up both rhythm and rhyme…English is at best, encrypted).
Tracy and I had a beer and sandwich at a little sports bar near our home…the area we sat in, bounded by the entrance, windows facing the street, the bar and a back hallway was 30’ by 30’, give or take. I counted 27 TVs in just that part of the bar. Twenty seven. They were side by side along the walls, and hung in rows from the ceiling. In my old hometown of Benque Viejo in Belize, there was a TV in one of the restaurants. I did stop by there to see the US soccer team play Japan. Hard-fought game filled with drama, heart and courage.
So I begin to understand my inability to write these past few weeks. I’m on sensory overload rather than empty of words. The ideas spin in and out so fast I can barely catch the whisper of the thought. Facebook going corporate and what that means for privacy concerns for millions of people; the sad comedy of the pre-pre-presidential race in the US; the even sadder tragedy of Congress; the end of US troop involvement in Iraq; floods, blizzards, tornadoes. Tebow.
In Benque, I had a distinct identity, and task, an assignment. I was the gringo, the Peace Corps volunteer, and I could be a window to another culture for those who chose to read my blogs. Even then I wasn’t consistent as I wanted to be, getting a blog out once per week. But here, whoa. I’m just one more northerner cluttering up the Florida landscape, without even the good sense to move down here with a lot of money to inject into the local economy. Looking for some part-time carpenter work, taking time to follow the words where they will. Thanks to Tracy and her work ethic, I have that opportunity, and it is a rare opportunity indeed. I hope to be up to the task.
Check out Tracy’s book. I think you’ll find it worth the time.
I hate it and I love it.
I love it that Tracy and I can connect over her new book, without really knowing each other. And i love her story of such strength can be put out onto the airwaves.
I love that I was able to see all of you at work in Belize due to a few electronic pulses sent around the globe.
And I hate it that the driver coming towards me has her eyes down texting.
Posted by: Fort | December 20, 2011 at 09:20 AM