EMERGING
It may appear chaotic, but if you look carefully, form emerges where least expected.
Distraught About “Distraught”
Last week’s post was shared with neighbors on Nextdoor. It had 5,000 viewers and generated over 250 responses before it was removed. Very few comments were related to the article. My first response was from someone who grabbed onto the word distraught, using it for a bait-and-switch opportunity to crow about Trump winning the election. From there, it was downhill, with vitriolic comments for and against his victory.
I desired to share the excitement of completing a video trailer for The Water Factor after several false starts. Though only a minute and a half long, seeing my words put into action was amazing. It was a good week. I was also happy to have received a Literary Titan Award for best thriller, giving me hope that my novel would influence the public to pay closer attention to managing their water system. Though it’s not a very sexy topic, it is an essential one. For romance and adventure, you have to read the book. If I can’t share good tidings with friends and neighbors, who can I share them with?
Last week’s article encouraged people to pay more attention to their neighbors rather than waste time hating them. Your neighbor will likely be the first responder to your needs in a crisis. Their children are the ones to befriend yours. They form carpools and arrange for playdates that make parental life easier.
There’s an advantage to taking a morning walk or having an afternoon coffee with someone living nearby. They understand your complaint about potholes, gas-powered leaf blowers, and drivers who speed down your street. Neighbors are also the ones to join in bringing about change-getting those potholes repaired, lobbying for a go-slow street sign, and seeking better access to public transportation. There are many local and state issues to solve without party politics getting in the way. What’s needed is a willingness to listen and compromise on solutions.
I used The Water Factor as an example of an issue that affects us all. We all need clean water piped into our homes at a reasonable price. The novel shows what happens when people don’t pay close enough attention to oversight committees. Though written as a thriller, the book is based on published events.
When water and waste management is subcontracted to a private company, allegiance shifts from the public to shareholders who want to reap a profit. They devise ways to make transparency difficult. Complicated bookkeeping makes expenses and payments challenging to monitor and makes graft harder to detect. Subcontractors are why water bills have become so high that people can’t pay them. More families are being thrown into poverty. Added to rising costs is the theft of water sold illegally without public knowledge.
A central California water manager was recently imprisoned for stealing over $25 million worth of water from a federal irrigation canal and selling it to farmers and other water districts. If that happened in your town, would you know? My city has an oversight committee that makes recommendations but doesn’t have the power to implement them. Andrew Selsky, a Salem, Oregon correspondent, revealed that illegal marijuana growers take water in uncontrolled amounts by draining wells and aquifers and breaking into water lines used by farmers and landowners and that overstretched law enforcement can do little about it. These are problems that could be solved if neighbors paid attention and worked together for solutions to keep such things from occurring.
Local issues matter. But if neighbors can’t find common ground and act civilly to solve problems, why should we expect more from the nation’s leaders? The political divide is a myth that makes ordinary people contribute their hard-earned dollars to never-ending campaigns. I’ve already received requests for contributions to the 2026 election.
Find ways to improve your community rather than gloat or mourn about the past election. Get personally involved in local issues and give money to national organizations that lobby for issues that matter to you. Do unto others as you would have them do unto you, are wise words to follow.
With reason to celebrate, I was pleased to share the results of four years of hard work. The trailer, audiobook, ebook, and paperback versions are available. Letting friends and neighbors into my life feels good, inviting them to celebrate achievements and life’s passages. I am also thankful they are there to provide comfort when I fail and offer help during bad times. I feel honored when they share happy occasions and hold them in my heart when they fail or fall ill.
Art is always for sale. Emerging is a 31″ by 48″ acrylic painting on canvas. It is available for $895, which includes shipping within the continental U.S. To make arrangements, Contact me at marilynne@eichingerfineart.com.
Please comment on my blog site at www.eichingerfineart.com/blog
Available in ebook, paperback, and audio formats. It can be purchased on AMAZON, Barnes and Noble, and as an audiobook on Amazon, Audible, and iTunes.
According to the UN, water is at the center of the climate crisis. THE WATER FACTOR, A RIGHTFULLY MINE NOVEL, is your chance to peer into the near future to a time of water scarcity controls by corporate criminals. The story is a gripping tale of water scarcity and corporate wrongdoing. An International Firefly Award winner for best dystopian novel. A Literary Titan recpient for best thriller.
TO VIEW TRAILER GO TO MY AUTHOR’S WEBSITE AT www.secretsofamuseumjunkie.com
