May 23

May 23 Episode 15: Who are we without our work?

This week, both BookFriendsForever call in from different locations while traveling. Alvina tells us all about how the first part of her sabbatical is going in South Africa. She finished a fun half-marathon! She also finally gets to see the long-awaited penguins. Alvina is taking important time for herself and it’s been a wonderful visit with friends. She did some hiking, wine tasting, and even went on a safari!

Alvina completes the Capetown Half-marathon!

Grace is on Nantucket Island where she originally had scheduled time there to complete her novel. However, her novel is now finished! The time spent away is a little reward for herself but she’s also catching up on some of the work that was pushed back while she focused on writing.

On the minds of Grace and Alvina this week… how much of work is or is not our identity? This is an interesting question as Alvina is on sabbatical taking a break from work. As for Grace, there is a new identity as a mother tied with one she has already. They sort through this question and also talk about identies they may have if they weren’t invloved in books.

For a trip down memory lane, Grace and Alvina revisit the first time they took an international trip. Grace’s book, the “Dumpling Days” was inspired by her first trip overseas to Taiwan when she was eight years old!

Alvina also traveled to Taiwan first also with her family for the funeral of her grandfather. You’ll hear why her family couldn’t travel to Taiwan until she was much older.

As usual, they end the episode with what they are feeling grateful for right now. Grace is grateful for her husband for thinking of a sweet and thoughtful way to help their daughter get rid of the nightmares she’s been having. Alvina is so thankful for the opportunity to travel the world.