We talk about the Imposter Syndrome a lot

This year, let's do something about it ... like go for an adventure! Here's mine.

A great way to reframe pure, spine-crawling fear, is to call it adventure.

At least that’s the way I’m reframing an idea that has had me on a fear roller-coaster …so, you’re invited to come with me on an adventure to one of the US State Department’s “Do Not Travel” states of Mexico and explore a remarkable story of daring and bravery in the style of David and Goliath.

Ignore the tales of cartels and their big guns and willingness to drop severed heads onto dance floors … you can take this journey in your arm chair.

However, what you might learn could convince you to finally do something scary,

like write that fantasy novel or volunteer in your grandchild’s classroom.

Imagine, from the perspective of life in a rich country where people are free to carry weapons of mass destruction into their local Subway shops … imagine several old ladies who had had enough … grabbing their brooms and shovels and walking down to the highway to stand in the middle of it, hearts pounding, in order to stop a giant lumber truck driven by a member of a group of illegal loggers in cahoots with local politicians and willing to use violence to protect their right to steal the sacred forest that provided sustenance for the village. Got the picture?

Anxiety pulses through me just thinking about it.

That morning, that action, changed everything. The village rose up, threw out the logging criminals, the crooked politicians and police, declared themselves autonomous and began an experiment in democracy that may well become a model for the wider world. Cherán, Mexico, in the state of Michoacán, is becoming a symbol of freedom and responsible democracy.

I wrote about the beginning of that story in 2018 while I was living in Mexico. (You can read it here: Wonder Women of Cherán). It has haunted me since then and now it has grown bigger as the town has banned avocados which have become a cartel cash crop, worth clear-cutting forests in order to replant avocado trees. An important article in Harper’s Magazine explores the role of the cartels, avocados and the effects of the forests they’re destroying on the water tables and rain patterns.

The actions Cherán is taking to protect their forests and their water sources is giving them a reputation in the world of eco-democracy.

Cherán mural

Another primary draw for me, however, are the murals. Before I left Mexico, I managed to get permission to visit Cherán and take pictures of the murals. Now, I want to go back and have an “artist in residence” experience, taking more photos, interviewing the artists, and learn more about the process of democracy that the people of Cherán have created.

Equal rights and equal responsibilities

Not only is this town of 20,000 committed to equal rights for everyone, each person is expected to play a role in the community. From what little I know about this aspect of Cherán, it sounds like they might have something to teach us. Even though most of us here in the US are committed to equal rights, perhaps too few of us understand the need for equal responsibilities.

Your Invitation for the 2024 Cherán adventure

So, here’s a sketch for the adventure … three months of research and finding the right guides and interpreters, a couple of weeks on site, three ro five months of writing and creating ways to share the story and information. Basically, I would expect this adventure to last most of 2024 and result in some sort of creative output as we explore this multifaceted story of:

• the courage of old women protecting their community

• the successful resistance of the little people to the corruption of gangsters and cartels

• acting to save the forests in the face of climate change and avocado cartels

• a new form of democracy focused on equal rights and equal responsibilities

• the role of wall art in community development.

And, here are some ways you might want to participate in the adventure:

Reader … weekly posts about Cherán, the adventure and the unfolding story … free subscribers.

Brainstorm Group … help build and refine the project through periodic chats. … annual subscribers

Recognized Sponsor … Initial zoom call to help design a project that serves readers as well as sharing the Cherán story and process as widely as possible. With an initial zoom call we would decide what would make this a special learning adventure for you. … Sponsors.

Later this month, there will be a free exploratory zoom call for anyone interested in knowing more about this story, the project and what it might mean to be a sponsor. Email me if you want to be on the list … jwycoff@gratitudemojo.com.

Charán Mural

Collaboration - The opportunity to collaborate on a creative project is a major plus for me so, if this story appeals to anyone enough to jump in, I am open to possibilities.

And, if a different adventure is calling to you this year, please tell us about it in the comments … let’s kick the Imposter Syndrome to the curb and make magic this year on a multitude of adventures.