January 19, 2025

Sunday

Håfa Adai is the traditional Chamorro greeting in Guam. It’s pronounced “half-a-day.”

I’m back to keep this journal on my website. I remember the first “computer” journal I ever kept. It was way back in the mid-80s when I was in high school and taking a beginner computer class. I think we were using DOS. This was way before click and drag. In order to learn the commands and whatnot, I decided to keep a journal, protected by a password.

That password was “someday.” I’ve always been a look-ahead kind of girl, I guess.

Well, here we are, four decades later, and whoo-boy things have changed. It’s kind of gratifying to realize that most of my “someday” dreams came to pass–even the one about being a published author!

So “someday” was cool, but now I’d rather focus on “today.”

Because time. Age. Having maybe 20 or 30 years left, not 60 or 70. Living in the present, being in the moment, that’s where I want to be, but, of course, one still needs goals and plans in order to make the most of those remaining years.

Mid-life isn’t for the faint of heart.

Finally doing what I’ve longed to do for years, I’ve stepped back from social media–Facebook and Instagram–while using Substack for my newsletter, PINK DANDELIONS.

I also have a new BlueSky account (mostly to claim my space on there) and I’ve opened up my Pinterest boards again so I can create storyboards for books as I begin to research and write them. That should be fun. I find images inspiring, and of course I like to make collage covers for my personal (and now art) journals.

So, I’m 90% quitting socials but not deleting my accounts. I’m not going to spend a ton of time on them because I’d rather concentrate on researching and writing books. I’m also not interested in creating a lot of free content for gazillionaire tech bros who, lets face it, aren’t regular people. They don’t really care about their users, or society in general as long as they are making money hand over fist.

Since we have moved to Guam and are busy looking for a rental to live in the next couple of years, I don’t have a lot of bandwidth for writing. I’m writing this entry on a hotel balcony overlooking the most glorious turquoise water, palm tree fronds waving, white waves breaking far out in the bay with darker blue water beyond leading out into the Pacific. It’s gorgeous, if remote, and far far from my loved ones. I’m hoping to do a lot of letter-writing during my time here.

Guam is an island in Micronesia. There’s much to learn about the history and people of the place, the food and customs. Yesterday I had my first serving of red rice, the local starch. It is made with white rice, bacon grease, Dashida seasoning and/or achiote powder, sazon (seasoned salt) powder, onions and/or garlic, vegetable bouillon sometimes, pepper, and extra table salt.

I can’t wait to learn to cook and eat more local foods! And that brings me to my latest inspiration for a series of novellas set in Guam so that I can share my experiences with my readers in an entertaining way. I have an idea for a character, a later-in-life women’s fiction narrative, literary subplot, friendships, community, and maybe even a little romance.

I’ve been taking notes with all kinds of ideas. I’ll start posting inspo to the Pinterest board, and I hope to get the first novella outlined in the next few weeks and start writing!