June 2020 Coffee Share

Good morning, Everyone. Happy June. How is your world faring? The Phase Two Action Plan from the lockdown officially happens next week in my neck of the woods. Fingers crossed. My yard does not seem to be affected by the virus. Color explodes with the foxgloves and Japanese Iris blooms. Hydrangeas are not far behind. Do you have your coffee? Mine just dripped down. Let’s take a break and catch up.

If we were having coffee together, I would report that my parents finally flew into the local airport non-stop from Orlando, Florida. They wore the N95 masks my daughter sent them and came armed with hand sanitizer. Everyone is so happy and relieved to have them home. They are well—we are all well.  

 If we were having coffee together, I would add that the yard and garden are planted, fed, reseeded, and fussed over. Matt and I still have more items to cross off the Bella Vela’s, our catboat, list. Matt sports a fine layer of sanded paint these past few days while tackling the centerboard. Maybe next week, we can schedule a launch. 

If we were having coffee together, I would announce that I am putting together my Journal On! A Writer’s Daily Workbook from this past A to Z Challenge. I am moving forward in offering writers’ workshops in the schools via Zoom or in person. I prefer teaching in person, but in today’s world, flexibility is key. I just may have to get used to greeting and teaching kids over remote platforms for awhile.

If we were having coffee together, I would report that I have been blogging posts related to my middle-grade historical fiction novel, Daily Bread. It is good practice to put out essays about an upcoming book to stir some excitement and broaden the audience. The posts will continue to feature my writing process, research methods, family stories, and recipes. You can check them out here. I am also cleaning up pages on my website and Instagram. This takes so much time and careful planning. As it is, I changed my Instagram name too many times while playing around with different features, and now I can’t change anything for two weeks! Instead of it being a cooling-off period, I will probably forget I had to do something.   

If we were having coffee together, I would be remiss not to mention the heartache I’ve been feeling. The pandemic has been bad enough, but the latest show of inequality, ignorance, and the violent atrocities that fill our newsfeeds bare down. There is no way to spin any of it in a “good” light. What happened to kindness and respect, common sense, and common decency? Where is the unity that made our country great? Was it an illusion all this time? I don’t want to believe we are really this awful. 

There are no clear answers, friends. I remind myself to listen, be kind, and hold out a helping hand when I can. 

Be well. Be safe.

Register to vote.  

Have a good week, Everyone. Make it great.

 

Antoinette Truglio Martin is the author of Hug Everyone You Know: A Year of Community, Courage, and Cancer. The memoir is a wimpy patient’s journey through her first year of breast cancer treatment.