Like many of you, there are a few choice words I have for Seaworld after watching Blackfish.  I have been struggling, and I mean struggling, to find some light in this horrendous situation.  This is what I have come up with.

1.     Redemption:  Seaworld has an opportunity to hault the inhumane care of whales and dolphins by releasing to sea pens and the wild, where applicable, it’s current stock of whales and dolphins.  In doing so, it would end the horror that children of the future will learn goes into this form of ‘entertainment’.  It will also start to heal the countless number of broken hearts that have streamed twitter these past few weeks, many of them saying they are lost hope in humanity.

2.     Innovation: Seaworld can set a new standard for wildlife entertainment and education.  Given today’s technology , students quest for knowledge of the wildlife on our planet and the need to preserve many species from mankind, establishing sanctuaries versus captive entertainment parks is the way to go.  In the case of aquariums, they can create ‘virtual aquariums’.  Using webcams in the oceans, tagging and tracking marine mammals (although I think the ethics of this may become debatable), and embracing the skill of wildlife photographers/videographers, there is no reason that we need to see a marine mammal ‘live’ today except on a wildlife tour.  The imaging today is so precise, I bet they could create virtual tanks to fool the best of us.

Ultimately, the public will vote with their dollars what they want to see. 

If you have not already seen the documentary, Blackfish that everyone is talking about, there are several opportunities to still do so.  Check your local program for it’s airing this weekend on CNN.  You can also pre-order the movie on dvd and blue-ray on Amazon.  To learn more visit: www.blackfishmovie.com

Let’s face it.  While efforts like Lean In attempt to equalize the responsibility of home and family life, the reality today is that when it comes to the home, most moms are at the steering wheel.  Hence, the call to use your Mompower.

I ask you the question; How would you feel if someone abducted your child, right before your eyes and then imprisoned them for entertainment purposes?  What if those same abductors then raped your child, and stole their children in order to grow the show?  Can’t take anymore?  What if those same abductors were running to the bank with profits from this venture?  Sounds impossible right?  Guess what, it’s happening.

On October 24 at 9pm Eastern Time, CNN will be showing, in its entirety a new documentary film called Blackfish.  The film features the lives of the orcas kept in captivity at Seaworld.  Before you buy another ticket to a captive marine park or zoo, please watch this film.  Encourage everyone you know to watch it; PTA, church groups, policy makers, everyone.  You don’t want to be the mom whose child brags about the good time they had at Seaworld, while the other mom’s look at you like, “How could you?”

Shamu, the figure that many of us have grown up loving needs your help and your voice.  Giving animals in need a voice does not make you a crazy cat lady.  Look at the reviews for this film.  For those of you who will not be able to watch Blackfish, read this short blog by Jean-Michel Coustea, the son of legendary Jacques Cousteau: Call To Freedom

Here’s to hoping the next generation is more humane than we are.

Have you ever just wanted to pack a bag, throw it in the car and just drive away?  Far, far, away, leaving all your problems behind?  Jill Bradley, protagonist in I KNOW YOU'RE THERE, reaches that point in her life after life slams her from all sides.  In an effort to find a place to rest, and reshuffle her head, she impulsively buys a ticket on the next flight out to a Caribbean island.

Changing one’s environment, relinquishing oneself from daily obligations, or gathering with your old girlfriends can sometimes be just what the doctor ordered to restore a sense of calm, reboot your energy and hear yourself think.  This has become such a popular new health option it even has a name: Travel Therapy®.

You don’t have time, money, or someone to watch your kids so you can break away?  Grab a travel book and let your mind escape to your dream location, take a hike without walking a step, sip a pina colada in front of the fireplace and read from your favorite cozy chair.  Sneak in a chapter before bed, during a lunch break, while waiting for your doctors appointment.  Books have that magical quality to take you away.

Where can you find a travel book that you will enjoy?  Have you tried Goodreads?  Search the lists option and you’ll find books for nearly every interest. Click the Explore Tab on the top, then Listopia, in the Search box type ‘Travel Books’.  You will find lists of books for all kinds of travel related themes: Best Books to Read while Traveling, Best Scottish Romances, Foreign Lands, even Time Traveling.

Treat yourself to a mental vacation with a good travel book.  No need to pack.

I KNOW YOU’RE THERE, is available in print and on most e-reader platforms.  Special Offer now available for women’s bookclubs!  Choose I KNOW YOU’RE THERE as one of your next bookclub picks and Susan Allison-Dean will send your club members each a free copy of the book in return for a group honest review of the book.  Time limited offer: please email [email protected] for details.

Before the Internet, nearly everything you needed to know could be found in the library.  Need a new attitude?  There’s a book for that, lots of them.  Looking to enhance your skill at a craft?  There’s a book for that.  How to raise your child? Looking to feel better?  Don’t worry; the local library has got you covered. 

As a new author, it has been a humbling, heartwarming experience to have readers share how a part of I Know You’re There resonated with their own life.  Women who have had a life experience validated, a funny memory rekindled or a pain from the past that was buried unearthed.  Perhaps it’s this latter opportunity that means the most to me.  To see someone finally voice something they have been holding inside, sometimes with tears streaming down their face, allows that old wound to finally start to heal. 

Fiction, although make believe, has the power to bring us together.   When a reader reads a passage of an experience that they have had, they no longer feel alone.  At least one other person has gone through this.  It also allows that same reader to see how someone else handled the experience.  Perhaps this jars a new idea, a feeling of relief or an opportunity to confront something that has long been avoided.

So the next time your feeling alone, lost, or confused about something, think about taking a trip to your local library.  It is a treasure chest of wisdom.

Did you get your fill of juicy heirloom tomatoes, burgers charbroiled on the grill, sweet corn dripping with butter and luscious pink watermelon for dessert this summer?  Turning the calendar to October stimulates the thoughts that accompany fall; pumpkins by the doorstep, planting bulbs in the garden, and what to be for Halloween.  As the days turn dark quickly, we pull out that cozy fleece and snuggle on the couch to watch the new series of our favorite shows.

In my novel, I Know You’re There, Helen Bradley is famously known for her pumpkin bread.  Wrapped in foil, still warm to touch, the aroma seeps out eliciting it’s recipient to salivate.  One slice is never enough.  “Just another little piece….”

Let’s celebrate the Harvest Season together by sharing our favorite fall recipes.  Tweet them (@sueallisondean), post on my Facebook page, Pin on my Harvest Recipe Board or comment on this blog post with your favorite recipe.  Maybe it’s a recipe that is treasured in your family, like Helen’s pumpkin bread.  Or perhaps you haven’t even tried it yet; you just found it in a magazine and can’t wait to give it a whirl.  It’s all good, let’s see how it goes!

Flowers by Joseph Richard Florals