Book Tour Travel Log: Lessons from Florida

A multi-generational audience gathered in Jacksonville Jewish Center's Social Hall on Sunday morning to attend a session titled Bubbemeises: True stories or Stories about Truth? We began by sharing various traditions that we learned from our parents and grandparents, listing the customs that comprise Jewish folk religion, also known as superstitions.

One grandmother courageously demonstrated how a person is to spit in the evil eye, affording me an opportunity to explain that in Yiddish we say "pooh, pooh, pooh," while in Hebrew it is "tooh, tooh, tooh."  Always three times, in keeping with the ancients' tendency toward odd numbers.  Her son began to recall folk traditions that she claimed to have forgotten along the way.  It was a rare half-hour of sharing and finding commonalities across generational, cultural and even religious boundaries. As a teacher, I was delighted to be engaged in this richly textured conversation.  As an author, I was enthralled to continue making connections with my readers, signing copies of my book and chatting informally with the workshop participants after the formal presentation concluded. 

In the years since I took my sabbatical and left the classroom, I have learned that I am fully capable of pursuing a career as a writer.  But writing is a solitary pursuit, and presents a real challenge to the social being.  I made a marvelous discovery this weekend in Florida: The Book Tour provides me a perfect means of balancing my time between living in the real world and living in my own mind.

If you would like to travel with me on a Virtual Book Tour, please visit the Facebook page of Found in Translation: Common Words of Uncommon Wisdom and press the "like" button at the top of the profile page. I will post travel logs, photos and other information there in the coming weeks.  You will also find a link to amazon.com, where you can be among the first to review the book and purchase the book as a gift --taking advantage of their free shipping.  Join me in my journey as we "spread the words" worldwide!