What does this mean to you? For me, it means doing things a little differently. It means making choices that aren't always comfortable. It means having fun despite the consequences. It means sometimes taking risks that could lead to unwanted results.
Today's question is about the audiobook narration for The Grey Wolf. The choice of actor to narrate the books must have been a very difficult decision for Louise, I imagine. There has been a wide range of responses to his work, understandably so because Jean is Quebecois, and the first narrator with a French Canadian accent. For Louise, I imagine that, maybe, one reason she chose Jean was that she may have wanted to "support local" and have the voice be more true to the local setting of the books. She has a wonderful relationship with her local community and regularly participates and engages with her neighbours. We see this with her relationships with local Tour groups who are based on the Three Pines locations, and of course the local book shop, where she promotes and sells her work. She makes a choice to extend her involvement into communities that focus on her personal interests, for example, joining Golden Rescue as their official Spokesperson. I think she is making choices now that will positively impact the lives and the worlds around her. And her choice of narrator was a risk; a risk to not choose someone with a British or American accent, because her main demographic of readers are more accustomed to these accents. So maybe she is risking some professional loss over personal choice. I should also add that in this way, I think her choice of setting also can be brought up, as she knows that when her books are not set in Thee Pines, she is taking a risk.
The choice to commit to activities and communities that are not for professional purposes usually involves some personal sacrifice. For Louise and her dog, that might mean speaking engagements and photo shoots. For us, that might mean volunteer work for non-profits and charities. Why do we do it? Why do we make the choice to volunteer, to participate, and to contribute? The reasons are just as personal as the choice of activity; a rewarding feeling, interacting with a lovely group of friends, personal growth, etc.
And what about this place? This place we call our virtual Three Pines home? I can see everyone in the mud here. Everyone has jumped in, gotten a little uncomfortable with the new place that isn't so new, it's a dirty "shack" compared to the "luxury" we were accustomed to (using admin words, not mine!!). But even with the dirt and discomfort, there is our own personal reward. This community of people who have shown that they are more interested in being members of this particular community, our community, and are willing to tolerate the "dirt" to remain active in our community.
Everyone has dirty fingernails here and I am happy to see so many friends here who don't mind. Today we can make mud pies from the dirt. Maybe tomorrow, we can make something even better.
So beautifully expressed mei lan. Not only do we need to stretch ourselves and take some chances because it helps us grow but also we need to remember that tomorrow is not a given. We need to get our fingernails dirty today but maybe tomorrow the mud will be all dried up.
Both very well said, mei lan and Libby! Man, I missed the “shack” vs “luxury” analogy. I am thinking that I see more comments, more names and a wider range of ideas here than just a few weeks ago. I think this site is catching on.