“Life for adoptees is unpredictable, an endless lesson in humility, a journey across the globe without assurance. Life has risks. Sometimes, being adopted feels like walking a tightrope while relentlessly working against steady currents, high winds, fire, thunder, and lightning. To survive and be happy as an adoptee, you must passionately strive for moral clarity, stay focused, and proceed with caution.” –Judith Land
“Every adoption story is filled with uncertainty—a daring adventure and a hazardous escapade. Action always begins with the imagination. Positive attitudes are essential to achieving our goals. The stronger and clearer our inner visions are, the more likely we are to succeed.” –Judith Land
Walking a tightrope is a metaphor for a thrilling life that showcases human performance limits in precarious situations. A tightrope stretched high above the ground indicates someone in a difficult situation—a confused soul teetering over the abyss, fearful of the present and uncertain about the future. Adoptees dealing with problematic situations with uncertain outcomes have many things to think about. Should I adopt? Should I share my medical history with my doctor? Should I research my ancestry? Should I telephone or write? What are the risks and consequences?
Adoption places children in a difficult situation where they must be cautious about what to do and say to satisfy opposing groups. Adoptees conflicted by alternative lifestyles have more things to think about and decisions to make. It is difficult to separate facts from fiction, and the fear of conflict and uncertainty worries them. Negative thoughts and misguided emotions consume their thinking and detract from life’s positive side. Misunderstandings and miscommunication lead to poor choices, distractions, and failure. Achieving equilibrium, a calm state of mind, and clear objectives are essential before moving forward on life’s tightrope. Crossings from one side to the other have lasting consequences, and you must walk softly and never take your eyes off the goal.
So, to live a happy life, hoist the anchor, throw off the bowlines, raise your sails, and catch the trade winds. Carpe diem—pluck the roses in full bloom and seize the day. Enjoy life while you can. Success is possible if you are determined and brave enough to try. Believing in yourself takes courage, determination, and faith. Anything is possible with a positive attitude and the courage to keep trying. Still, it takes faith and imagination to create a better life.
Judith Land
“Judith Romano is a plucky Midwestern orphan who faces adversity and steadfastly refuses to back down until she has found her birth parents. It is impossible to put this book down before it is finished–other adoptees will be greatly inspired to find their own roots.” Jean Patton, mother of the Adoption Reform Movement, founder of Ocean Voyage, and author of The Adopted Break Silence
Adoption Detective: Memoir of an Adopted Child 
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