Innocent Dreams: Author Update, March 2023

❤️‍🩹Feeling Better

It's been several months since you heard from me, and I wanted to provide a quick update about where I've been. As some of you may know, I had a rough winter health-wise. It wasn't anything serious, but since September, I’ve been having difficulties sleeping, both getting good quality sleep and staying asleep during the night. These issues seem to be related to bad allergies and poor breathing habits. Fortunately, I found some medication to help with the allergies and exercises to help improve my breathing. I'm happy to report that my sleep has mostly returned to normal, and the worst seems to be behind me.

🎙️Something to Listen to

While I feel much better and have returned to a regular working schedule, I’m not yet ready to resume my bi-monthly email newsletter. After being sidelined for almost five months, I have a backlog of work and will need some time to catch up. At the moment, I plan to resume regular updates in late May. In the meantime, I wanted to share a few podcast episodes that feature me as a guest.

The first podcast, Alchemical Voices, is hosted by Jazzlyn Greenzee and “explores and amplifies the voices of BIPOC, transracial adoptees, and complex trauma survivors.” During the episode, we talk about my story, reunion, and the healing power of storytelling. You can listen to parts 1 and 2 of our amazing conversation on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or her website.

Just a Heads Up: When I sat down to record, I messed up the setting on my mic, so in the recording, my voice pitched higher than usual. 🤦🏽‍♂️ I don't think it takes away from our fantastic conversation, but it may sound a little weird.

I also recorded an interview with Lanise Antoine Shelley, who hosts the When They Were Young podcast. In the episode, which has not aired yet, we talked about dyslexia, my writing, and the disappeared children of El Salvador. Season 4 of her podcast launches on April 1st. The episode with me will come out sometime after that. I will be sure to share a link when it is live.

📚What I've Been Reading

Two books that really helped me recover from my breathing issues are The Oxygen Advantage by Patrick McKeown and Breath: The New Science of a Lost Art by James Nestor. The first book, The Oxygen Advantage, is a how-to-do book with many great exercises to improve your breathing and increase athletic performance.

Breath is more of a pop science book that explores the impacts of modern living on our breathing habits, the evolution of our airways, and why our ancestors probably did not snore. I thought Breath was fascinating, even if you have no breathing issues.

Note to the reader: I don't usually recommend medical books. I'm not a doctor, nor do I play one on the internet. However, these books helped me immensely, so I thought I would mention them. Your mileage may vary.

👨🏽‍💻The Month Ahead

This month I will continue to work on my recovery and catch up on work. It’s also the start of frisbee season, so I will be busy coaching and overseeing two middle school teams. Until my next update, I wish you the best, and remember to breathe easy!

Sincerely,
Nelson/Roberto