Both Things Are True

A Journey from Fearing Trust to Trusting Fear

By: Janine Valentine

Narrated by: Janine Valentine

The vacation of a lifetime ended abruptly with a positive test for Covid-19. Janine was whisked off her luxury dive boat in the Maldives, ordered into isolation, and left to fend for herself on a conservative Islamic island on the other side of the world, terrified and alone.

Though well into the pandemic, the Maldivian government had no clear plan to provide shelter, food, or medicine for tourists required to quarantine. Fighting for her own survival with a language barrier, only $38 cash, worsening symptoms, and a quickly diminishing sense of safety, Janine came face-to-face with her greatest fear: abandonment. She soon realized her many coping mechanisms, and the limiting beliefs behind them, were no longer sustainable.

Intimate conversations with the sea while reflecting on the burka-draped women who swam in it led Janine to find her true self and her higher power on that island, where she ultimately realized it’s impossible to ever really be alone.

©2022 Janine Valentine (P)2022 Janine Valentine

Engaging story

I both read the book as well as listened to the audio book. From the start, the story engaged me. I absolutely loved the audio version because of the narrative talent of the author. Her expressive soft voice candidly brought the story to life. Her fear was truly relatable, and her gift of words expressed it well. I highly recommend it to all.

What a delightful Read!

Janine does an amazing job of painting such a vivid picture and conveying emotions! She does this so well that at times, I realized I had quit breathing and felt as if I was the main character. Although the story line was different from anything in my own life, the emotions are relatable and Janine draws the reader into the story throughout the book. "Live your life. The scary parts don't last that long...Allowing the fear and moving through it is worth it! Fear has purpose. I invite my fears to sit beside me for a chat..." Just as the buffalo intuitively heads face first into a storm knowing that it will get through it quicker, Janine faces her storm with the same courage by leaning into the fear and accepting that being 'fully at peace and full of anxiety' can exist in the same space at the same time. Thank you Janine for the raw, vulnerable story you allowed us all to experience with you.