Sometimes, if we're lucky, we have a chance-encounter with someone halfway across the globe, someone we would have otherwise never had met before modern technology.
A man from Germany liked my author Facebook page a few years ago. I noticed that his last name was the same as mine and wondered if we may be related. After sending him a message, he responded that we were indeed NOT related. A conversation ensued. The usual questions arose: What do you do? Are you married? Do you have children? What are your interests? I found myself drawn to learning German and started sending him "Guten Morgen" messages every day. It's always fun trying to figure out what he's trying to say to me in English and in German. Thank God for Google Translator. I was fascinated that he was messaging me from an evening train ride from the city where he worked to his hometown, while I met friends for lunch. My days were just starting as his were ending. I wanted to know more about him. Weeks passed. The interaction has between this stranger and I has been educational, but most of all intriguing. I have learned more about soccer, a different culture than my own and how others view the U.S. I plan to visit Europe sometime this year, on a quest to find my Czech family and maybe stop by Germany to see the man behind the messages - the man on the other side of the globe. Stay tuned for updates!
0 Comments
What a difference four years can make. Not only was I younger, I was totally inexperienced in the way of becoming an Indie Author. I look at this photo today, New Year's Day, 2017, and reminisce about the pre-butterfly period, my cocoon stage - the metamorphosis of my life. I journaled daily, as I do even now, putting together the chapters that would become The Secret Butterfly Trail. Learning how to create a website for myself and establish an online presence using social media was overwhelming. Once I was immersed in it, it became second nature and eventually turned into a website and social media business of my own. My writing style has changed over the years. I have learned to pull out all the stops and allow the raw, real, emotional writing to flow. |