Had you been consulted, ahead of time, and knowing what you know now,

[Hekate]

13. Every so often when I contemplate the living literature & theatre of England I wonder...

But every place has its troubles, and so do they. I have now met two women from Britain, highly accomplished in my eyes, who told me their mothers sent them to voice lessons to get rid of their regional and class accents, which apparently were not posh enough to ever allow them to rise very high in the academic or governmental worlds.

I was kind of stunned, to tell the truth. But Britain’s loss was America’s gain.

Actually I am more than okay with where I’ve spent my life: growing up in Hawai’i marked me to the core in ways I would never change, and spending what’s going to be the rest of my life on the Central Coast of California has as well. When I left Hawai’i at 32 I deliberately chose someplace not in Los Angeles with its freeways and millions of people, and not inland, where it’s hot, dry, and real conservative. Where I landed was a good place to raise my kids, and though my career choices were limited, it was a good place for me to get involved in social activism once I had the time.

I wish you all the best — if you love the land you’re on, that means a great deal.