2021 is coming to an end and I don’t know about you, but I can’t remember much about what I planned to do, the goals I had, and the year I expected it to be. Don’t get me wrong. I’ve still worked and accomplished many things throughout the year, as I’m sure you have as well, but I doubt I’m the only one who had a year she never expected would roll out this way.
I won’t go into the whole monthly play by play, but suffice to say our family dealt with a lot. We started the year with upheaval, and we’re ending it no differently. We faced the virus, had long term health effects because of it, lost a family member along with another close family friend, plus have a career change facing us as we enter 2022.
Even with all that, I have to say my spirits are pretty high. We have experienced some really incredible things too. Among other positives, I was able to sign with a management company that is helping me with movie rights for the trilogy, my brother and I wrote a television screenplay and were able to enter a competition where we placed in the top 1% of all scripts submitted this year, and I have had more writing gigs and clients than ever.
As a family, we traveled to our European home together and stayed in our old house there. It’s the first time our son-in-law got to experience the country our children grew up in like a “local.” (If you’re new here, stick around, I’ll be talking about our European/American life more in 2022!) Our middle son is finishing college, and our first grand baby is on her way.
So, as with anything in life, there are both blessings and hardships. But why do I bother pointing out the bad instead of focusing only on the good? I’ll tell you.
I want to be honest. Sometimes I feel light and cheery and want to have fun for absolutely no reason. Other times, I want to talk about the state of the world, my fears and doubts, mourn the difficulties that face humanity, and labor over what role we can have in solutions for the future. As we face 2022, and I prepare for the work that lies ahead, I reject the notion of “fake it til you make it.” I’m just going to be making it. If what I create sticks, fine. If it sucks and I recalibrate, cool. It's part of life.
I may be learning as I go, but I’m kind of over the idea that it’s better to fake it, or you have to be so focused that you lack nuance in your online “brand.” We’re all on a journey that’s complicated–sometimes messy and sometimes beautiful. I’m going to talk about it all here, so I hope you join the ride!
This week, I’m sharing some of that nuance on a podcast with author Ronit Plank. If you haven’t heard about her book, When She Comes Back, I can highly recommend it. My Amazon review sums up how I feel about it!
But don’t take my word for it, get the book yourself and remember to leave a review! Leaving a good review on Amazon and Goodreads is probably the best thing you can ever do for an author that costs you absolutely nothing! You can also read a book (including hers!) on a different app or even from the library and STILL leave a review on Amazon and Goodreads, so do your favorite authors a solid today!
I hope you enjoy my interview, Ronit and her fabulous personality, and if you want to hear more stories like ours, you can follow the hashtag #igotout on social media to connect with many cult survivors and their stories.
Before you go, let me know what you're looking forward to in 2022! I'd love to connect!