Oubaitori-Book Launch Group-Book Giveaway

a time to bloom | a book emerging in spring | first podcast interview | giveaway

Welcome to Belonging and the Human Experience! I write about belonging, loneliness, culture, migration, faith, race, and community. I’m glad you’re here! (Please make sure you move these to your primary inbox if you’re viewing via email.)

In this newsletter:

Oubaitori | Private book launch group invitation | Podcast interview | Book Giveaway

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Friends,

It’s been a week! A good week! So much good.

My daughter came back from her hospital rotation in Nepal (yes, I didn’t mention this) and after the rotation, she and a friend trekked to EVEREST BASE CAMP. No, I am not kidding. Yes, she did this. This mom, for one, is happy to have her back. But also immensely proud of her and her persistence and tenacity. She trained hard! It was an 11 day hike, they reached an elevation of 18,000 feet, and hiked over 60 miles. Oh, and also, she matched to a residency program on Match Day! So it’s been a little exciting over here.

We had to have a celebration when she returned, of course, and enjoyed an amazing dinner out with Indian food elevated to a high level. It was so good. Pictures of the mouthwatering meal:

(Is this making you hungry? It was honestly as good as it looks!)

And then the next day we went to a local coffee shop and had some decadent desserts. Pictures of rose-flavored tres leches cake topped with rose petals, espresso tres leches cake, and one more dessert that starts with a “b” that I can’t remember the name of. And all of this matched with chai, of course. : )

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Oubaitori

I learned a new word this week: oubaitori.

The word is Japanese and is spelled this way in Japanese: 桜梅桃李And each of one these characters represents a different flower: cherry, apricot, peach, and plum.

These fruit trees bloom in the spring—but each one blooms at a different time. Each flower, each tree is unique, with its own shape, color, fragrance.

Each tree produces something beautiful, but only in its own time, and each one is unique. We cannot compare the blossoms or fruit with each other.

And this concept of oubaitori is applied to people. Oubaitori means that we are each on our own individual journeys. We can’t compare ourselves to another person out there, or our journey to theirs, just as these flowers. We are each different, with a unique blend of traits and skills that make each of us who we are. We each have our own path. When we compare ourselves to others, we can’t see the full perspective. We don’t know the full truth of another’s journey and they don’t the full truth of our own. Practicing oubaitori means we don’t make comparisons, but we focus on our own growth and development, our own journey. We know that there is no same path for each of us, and the timeline is also different for each of us.

 Instead of comparing ourselves to others, we look at our own journey, and say “Wow, I made it this far.” It leads to a sense of empowerment as opposed to discouragement. It takes the pressure off of thinking we should have reached a certain place by now.

Oubaitori means not comparing ourselves to others.

I know avoiding the practice of comparison is difficult—and it’s even made worse by curated images on social media. We look at Instagram and think our lives are so far from the perfect lives we see others seem to have. It’s actually far from the truth.

I love this concept of oubaitori and its origins in the flowering beauty of fruit trees. And with signs of spring emerging (the cherry blossoms are now in bloom in the Washington, DC area), I’m inspired to be more intentional about allowing myself to be discouraged by the comparison game. We are each unique with a different path in front of us! How exciting is that! I

My son sent me this photo of the cherry blossoms in DC this weekend:

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Private Book Launch Group-Exclusive here first

I’ll be opening up the form to join my private Facebook book launch group to launch Beyond Ethnic Loneliness in the world!! You’re hearing it here FIRST.

I’m exclusively sharing with you first, lovely subscribers. Signups will start on Friday and will be open just a few days only. I’ll send another email on Friday with the sign-up link!

What does a private book launch involve? Glad you asked! Here are the deets:

·      a private group on Facebook to launch Beyond Ethnic Loneliness in the world

·      early access to the book with preorder

·      preorder bonus of homemade chai recipe card shipped to your mailbox (if you’ve already preordered, it’s easy-just fill out the form! Quantities limited)

·      giveaways each week (gift cards, books, oh my!)

·      videos by me just for the group

·      4 weeks from March 29-April 26

You’re being asked to:

·      Write a review (1 or 2 sentences is enough!) for Amazon, Goodreads, Barnes & Noble, etc. This is VERY IMPORTANT. It’s like the secret sauce for books getting recognition.

·       Share with others about the book

·      Takes about 30 seconds a day

·      Have fun with it

It does NOT involve:

·      Remembering any kind of passwords at least 8 characters long, with an uppercase letter, a lowercase letter, numbers, symbols, hieroglyphs, haikus, secret maps, Morse code, a pot of gold, or a peacock feather

·      Getting dressed up. I am sitting in my PJs as a write this. We’re all ourselves over here.

Join me and other friends for the book launch! Check your inbox (or Substack app) for the link on Friday!!

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Preorder Beyond Ethnic Loneliness

Preorders are available on Amazon! Thank you to those who have already preordered - and consider joining the book launch above! If you’ve never been part of one, it’s FUN. Preorder here: Amazon Preorder Link.

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Podcast episode

I was excited to join Rohadi on his podcast, Faith in Fresh Vibe, released recently. It’s my first official podcast for the book. Listen here:

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Book Giveaway!

Occasionally, I like to have book giveaways for my subscribers. I have a gem for you, a new release titled Between You and Us by Kendra Broekhuis, and it’s signed by the author! This is a novel with magical realism. Here’s a short description:

When a grieving woman unexpectedly steps into a different version of her life, she must choose between the husband she loves and the daughter she lost in this brave, gripping novel. Two possible lives to live. One impossible choice to make.

When Leona Warlon heads across the city to meet her husband, David, for a rare dinner out, she hopes they can share a moment of relief after their year of loss. But Leona quickly realizes this is no ordinary date night. She hasn’t just stepped into an upscale ristorante; she’s stepped into a different version of her life. One in which her marriage is no longer tender, in which her days are pressured by her powerful in-laws, and in which her precious baby girl lived.

Now Leona must weigh the bitter and sweet of both trajectories, facing an unimaginable choice: Stay in a world where tragedy hasn’t struck but where the meaningful life she built with David is gone? Or return to a reality that’s filled with struggle and sorrow but also deep and enduring love?

That cover is just stunning, and so is the story. If you’d like to be entered in the giveaway (U.S. addresses only), just leave a comment below! I’ll choose a random winner on Sunday, March 24.

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Friends, it’s book launch season. I guess it’s apropos, with the emergence of new life emerging all around. Don’t worry, no weird analogies about birthing a book and a book getting ready to be born! (Uh-oh, I think that might have been one.)  :-D
Anyway, I remember “oubaitori”: it’s the season now for spring, and for this book—and whatever you’re dreaming up right now, it will the season for that, too. ♥️

Peace,