Dang, I’m gullible, really gullible!

Isla Mujeres Mexico
“You did consent,” was the terse reply when I asked how I could be included in a book when I hadn’t agreed to be.

As it turns out, a little over two years ago when I agreed to do a podcast about moving to a foreign country, I was asked to sign a release form – that included the following words, “the irrevocable right to use my name, fictional name, picture, portrait, or photograph blah, blah, on and on for the full length of an 8 x 11 page.

Did I read the form before signing? Nope. My eyes glazed over before I even got to the irrevocable part. I was dealing with an acquaintance and didn’t think I needed to read what I was signing. Silly me.

The first that I knew of the project was a Facebook message asking if I would like to write a review or a promotional blurb, along with a link to the PDF for the proposed book.

I was puzzled. What book? (I knew it wasn’t the one by my author friend John Scherber, about expats in San Miquel. That one isn’t quite ready for release.)

So, I opened the link that had been provided and discovered that I, along with several other expats from Isla Mujeres, had been included in a book about moving to a foreign country.

Now, you might be asking yourselves, “why is she unhappy about being included in a book? Wouldn’t that be a good thing?”

The answer to that question is complicated:

Firstly, I discovered that my name had been misspelled three times in the short article about Lawrie and I: Lynda Lockeonce, and Linda twice. Every writer makes typos and I’m no different, but, since the author and I are connected via Facebook, and my name is quite clearly spelled Lynda Lock wouldn’t an error like that be glaringly obvious? It made me wonder about the overall accuracy.

Secondly, I am my mother’s daughter. I don’t appreciate being told; I would have preferred being asked.

Thirdly, and the most important reason for me; this particular book is a “How to” and promotes a very orderly method of testing the waters before you leap into a new life, and completing a lengthy relocation quiz, and listing the pros and cons of embarking on a new adventure – none of that had anything to do with how Lawrie and I made our decision to move to Mexico.

Decision making office in Summerland

This was our decision-making process: We were sitting on our lakeside patio in Summerland one moonlit August night, sharing a bottle of good wine. I turned to Lawrie and said, “I’m bored. Are you?”

He responded with a chuckle, “hell ya. What do you want to do next?”

We sold everything and headed off to a new adventure in Mexico.

So, at the age of nearly 71 it’s a lesson learned; a frustrating lesson. I was completely blindsided by the extent of the release that I signed and would prefer not to be included in the project, but after several days of back-and-forth Facebook messages, the author has brushed aside my objections.

Gullible gullible me.

Lynda

COPYRIGHTED by Lynda L. Lock

December 2021