“Judith often pushe[d] me toward opportunities I would ordinarily shrink from owing to expense or the time and trouble these entailed. […] As if she knew my thoughts, Judith said, “I don’t want to hear your excuses. You will never win anything if you don’t even try.”
[…]
Yet she can be unpredictable when it comes to follow-through, often suggesting ideas to me for advancing myself and rarely checking to find out if I’d taken her advice. Such things were on me, she likely reasoned, and out of her hands once the advice was given. Comadrazgo fosters mutual benefit, not dependency.”
— “Crocodiles and Plovers” by Lorraine Lopez, Count On Me: Tales of Sisterhoods and Fierce Friendships
ESCRITORA CHALLENGE: Write about a comadre who helped you expand your professional and personal horizons. Share your short piece in the comments section below! It can be as short or as long as you’d like.
Below is a an example written by comadre Alexandra M. Landeros, who earned her MFA in Creative Writing from Texas State University in 2004 and wrote her thesis under the direction of renowned Latino author Dagoberto Gilb. Her articles and columns have been published in Latino Magazine and TODO Austin, and she is currently working on a collection of nonfiction short stories about growing up in the United States and Mexico.
Judith and Alexandra
When I read “Crocodiles and Plovers,” I was able to relate to Lorraine Lopez’ experience, right down to her mentor’s name. In Lorraine’s true-life story, the mentor is creative writing professor and published author Judith Ortiz Cofer. In my life, it is Judith McGeary, attorney, rancher, and executive director of Farm and Ranch Freedom Alliance. Like Lopez, I was also trying to pursue a career as a writer, but I was also searching for a job that would allow me to work independently and aligned with my interests in a sustainable, healthy, and natural way of life.
When I was laid off from my job in a marketing start-up in June of 2012, I immediately started searching for other full-time jobs in marketing, public relations, and communications. I looked at start-ups, corporations, and agencies. Part of me knew this was the perfect opportunity to launch out on my own, but I was still scared of the unknown and the uncertainty of life as a freelancer.
But the universe gave me a sign by only offering one job opportunity during the summer of 2012, as a part-time outreach coordinator for Farm and Ranch Freedom Alliance. I took the job with enthusiasm because I had already become an active local food supporter by then, and I was getting more interested in the politics of food and small farms. But I also took the job with trepidation, unsure about what it would lead to. I had always worked a full-time job in the past. Having a part-time job meant that I needed to be resourceful about paying the bills.
Taking this job has given me two things: a tremendous learning experience (I have learned a great deal from Judith about being a grassroots advocate) and independence in pursuing my career as a writer. Only a few months after starting the job, we decided to drive together from Austin, Texas to Louisville, Kentucky for a conference. We not only survived the long road trip together, but we had many great conversations that marked the beginning of an even longer journey ahead. The third thing this job has given me is a learning experience about myself and my potential to achieve more than I’m willing to try for.
Similar to the way Judith pushed Lorraine beyond what she thought she was capable of, I have been pushed beyond my comfort zone. I am not always the most confident person (I tend to be very shy), but Judith has encouraged me to take more ownership of my strengths and to have self-assurance in the work that I do. Although Judith guides me in the right direction, she does not hover, in the same way that Judith in “Crocodiles and Plovers” did not run after Lorraine to make sure she followed through.
After some time, I learned that I had almost not been hired for this job because I was so shy and reticent. But Judith trusted my references and decided to give me a chance. Although I have learned to be more confident since I started the job, I know I can be even stronger moving forward. It was knowing this about myself, however, that I finally understood how important it was for me to have self-confidence, especially around people who don’t know me.
Looking back, I wondered how many possible opportunities I’ve missed throughout my life because people may have perceived that I was not up for the challenge. And I am grateful to Judith for being so forward and honest – this is something that I very much value in a friendship, in a comadre. I have had friendships dissolve in the past because the other person was not willing to be honest with me, or because I’ve said something honest that the other person was not willing to hear. Judith, as a friend and mentor, has restored my faith in mutual honesty. I would rather be told something true, rather than always be praised, if it means I can become a better person.
I look up to Judith professionally and as a friend, but I have also come to realize that I’ve provided support for her in several ways. Each of us have our own strengths that the other can draw from, and as much as I have come to trust Judith on many different levels, I’ve earned her trust as well. As Lorraine Lopez said, “a comadrazgo fosters mutual benefit.”