BEING NAKED / DESNUDEZ

Siempre la desnudez me ha parecido una forma natural y normal de experimentar y ser parte del mundo físico. Me encanta la ropa, la moda y el estilo, pero aprecio el regalo tan hermoso de nuestro cuerpo. Nuestras pieles son no sólo un órgano funcional en nuestros cuerpos, sino también nuestra prenda de vestir más única y especial.

Por alguna extraña razón se nos ha inculcado profundamente evitar y negar la desnudez como algo natural y sin malicia. Muchas personas no se detienen a mirar y admirar sus cuerpos sin que surja en sus mentes alguna crítica, muchas veces severa, acerca de cuánto o no sus cuerpos se asemejan a la imagen “enlatada” de lo que se nos ha vendido como un cuerpo perfecto. Por esta razón muchos evitan los espejos, pero tampoco se permiten disfrutar de la libertad de interactuar con sus micro-mundos sin que la ropa esté de por medio.

Habiendo sido criada en una cultura un tanto opresiva con respecto a la sexualidad y el cuerpo humano, siempre me pregunté por qué se castigaba la desnudez y la sexualidad. Aún en la intimidad de un momento privado se me inculcaba a tapar el cuerpo inmediatamente al terminar un baño como si alguna divinidad hubiese estado observando y hubiese podido aplicar un castigo implacable por tan horrendo pecado. ¿En qué momento de nuestra historia como humanidad el cuerpo se convirtió en algo de lo que debemos avergonzarnos? ¿Acaso no es el cuerpo nuestro templo sagrado?

Me encanta la ropa, la moda y el estilo, y estoy totalmente a favor de la ropa. Sin embargo, amo mi cuerpo y el cuerpo humano, y valoro y honro las pieles, curvas, pliegues, celulitis, estrías, flaccidez, rollitos, abundancias, carencias y lo que hace de cada cuerpo algo único y maravilloso. Un buen ejercicio para comenzar a aceptarnos tal cual somos es empezar a aceptar nuestros cuerpos y a sentirnos cómodos con él. A destaparse de vez en cuando, a dormir desnudos (con la ropa al lado por si acaso hay que correr en medio de la noche), a dejar que el agua se nos evapore sola de nuestra piel al salir de la ducha, a caminar desnudos por la casa y a disfrutar de nuestros cuerpos ¡“como Dios nos trajo al mundo”!

As The Day You Were Born

Being Naked

The Daily OM

For most of us, it is probably difficult to remember the last time we were comfortably naked for a period of time longer than 20 minutes or so. Many of us are only naked for the length of time it takes us to shower or bathe. We quickly dry off and put our clothes or pajamas on, without taking even a moment to enjoy the feeling of the air against our bare skin. Most of us learned that this was the way to do things from a young age, and we may not have been exposed to another way of thinking, but many cultures regard nudity as completely acceptable, even in somewhat public settings. If you have ever had the good fortune to assimilate yourself to this way of doing things, you may have found the experience liberating enough to allow it to influence the rest of your life. Perhaps you swam topless in Tahiti or took a sauna in Sweden or Finland. In many American cities, you can find the experience of unselfconscious nudity in a Russian or Korean spa. You may have noticed the lack of vanity in people who are comfortable with their naked bodies. Old ladies and young girls sit side by side, seemingly without concern for how they appear. We see that it is not necessary to hide our imperfections; from cellulite to wrinkles, all is accepted with equilibrium. We can see the beauty and naturalness of our different bodies, accepting ourselves as just right, just as we are. Being naked in front of children can be discussed with your spouse and a plan developed for your family. Children have their way of letting you know when they are ready for a clothes-only family.If this sounds appealing, you might try carving out some time in your day in which you let yourself be naked. You could delay dressing for 10 minutes after your shower, gradually increasing the time to 20 minutes or half an hour. You might also want to try sleeping naked, a sensual delight that is especially wonderful in hot summer months. If you have a private garden, a naked sunbath might be just the thing. Whatever your choice, finding time to be as naked as the day you were born can awaken feelings of contentment, freedom, and self-love.

ACCEPTING ONESELF

"Aceptarse a uno mismo es el primer paso para amarse a uno mismo. Amarse a uno mismo es tener la confianza de ser, a pesar de todo". Thinking about self confidence and wondering why some people have the bravery to seemingly do more than others, I came to the realization that in essence, self-confidence is grounded on self-acceptance. In order to reach self-acceptance, to love oneself as we are, though to strive to become our best selves not for others but for our own sake, we have to deeply and unequivocally know our selves to the core, our strengths, weaknesses, virtues, past, present, and future, and then with that understanding in hand come to terms with our demons, conquer our fears, and retrieve from within the determination to stand in the world as we are, stripped of the expectations of others and learn to live happily, freely, and intuitively with the person we are. Then, and only then, true self confidence can be achieved.

It is hard to be different, but harder it is to be willing to stay rooted in our grounds and offer ourselves to the world as we are, in our own definition, in harmony with others, but most importantly, with all the parts that compose our whole selves in harmony within. I remember growing up I experienced being different from many angles, and although the temptation to be “same as” was big and an easier load to carry, I always drifted in the direction of what was more suitable for myself. I have been called inconsiderate, cold, and libertine (among other things), although my actions procured the well-being of others, just because I had the guts to stand up, refuse, change, voice-out, and choose to be my own person. It is ironic that all ethics call for humans to be honest, yet honesty is not highly appreciated, nor much tolerated or accepted by others, especially by those one has sentimental ties to. Individuals are called to be honest, sincere, transparent, yet the open expression of differences in thought, feelings, and perspectives is often treated as actions of betrayal, defiance, and desertion.

Self-acceptance requires for individuals to be comfortable in their own skin and to feel the confidence to let that skin show for all to see. One can transpire self-acceptance with respect, compassion, and understanding of others unacceptance, willing to stay open-minded to the learning experience that differences among individuals allows, evolving to strengthen our core through our learning, realizing that differences are healthy and necessary to be unique, and recognizing that differences emerge from the same source and core values ingrained in all humans. To accept one-self is the first step to loving one-self. To love one-self is to have the confidence to be, in spite of all.

THE POWER OF WOMEN

Women have the innate ability to form tight bonds with other women, unlike any other creature on earth. When we care for other women we are willing to go out of our ways to support, aid, and comfort other women. Friendships are deep and meaningful for women, and we have the sensitivity to connect beyond what is explicable. When women love and care for other women our feelings transcend time and distance, our intuition for each other tunes in finely and intertwines with the essence of others, forming a true sisterhood. I call the way women care for each other and the relationships we develop with other women “the tribe”.

Tribal in nature, we develop an effective system to provide nurturing in a special way only women are able to. It is important for women to stand united and recognize that the power of all, amalgamated, is the power of one. Lets use our sisterhood to strengthen our tribe and create the harmony much needed in the world.

Women’s Support

Becoming Our Own Role Models

As women embrace the fullness of who they are as individuals, they may find themselves supporting other women, helping others to reach the level of inner comfort and outer freedom that they themselves have found. Among those who are less sure of themselves and their place in the world, it may be more common to criticize other women than to seek their help. But there are things that a woman can only learn from another woman, as there are things about being a man that can only be learned from other men. We all recognize that we have much to learn from each other regardless of gender, but sometimes we could use a supportive role model that gives us a more precise example of what and who we can become. There was a time where women stood together in a bond of sisterhood, women supporting women. It is only natural that the pendulum swings out of balance for a while so that we may have the experience of what we do not want. It is up to women to bring the pendulum back into balance and bring back the sacred sisterhood we yearn for at our core. If we envision a world where women support each other and help each other find their place in an ever-changing world, then we can become the change we want to see. Jealousy, envy, criticism, and judgment are refuges for the insecure. As we help others to become self-assured, we create a world in which all people help each other, regardless of gender. Only women can make the change in how women are seen and understood, not just by other women but by the world at large. The way we speak about each other to other women and to the men in our lives informs everyone to treat us with the respect that all women, and all people, deserve.

WOMEN AND GOODBYES

Gracias a mi amiga Jody por enviarme este mensaje...gracioso y muy cierto.

"A man never knows how to say goodbye; a woman never knows when to say it." Helen Rowland

And if you are a Latina, you say 100 goodbyes before actually leaving...two hours after the first goodbye :-)

CONFORMISMO Y MEDIOCRIDAD

“…todos los triunfadores comparten algo en común: Ellos no tienen excusas. No buscan justificar ante los demás por qué las cosas son como son. NO se quejan de sus circunstancias ni inventan excusas para explicar por qué no han alcanzado sus metas. Las personas exitosas simplemente entran en acción y se encargan de hacer lo necesario para que las cosas ocurran. Si tropiezan, se ponen de pie nuevamente y emprenden con renovado entusiasmo su camino hacia los objetivos que persiguen”. Dr. Camilo Cruz
Muchas personas caminan por el mundo, aparentando a simple vista estar desprovistos de ataduras o impedimentos físicos, pero con una prisión invisible a su alrededor y cadenas indelebles que los atan a su realidad por más negativa o poco placentera que ésta sea. El conformismo justifica su inconforme realidad y sufren de lo que yo defino como La Parálisis del Miedo. El conformismo se da por muchas razones, y surge del “entendimiento” de que ante el gran temor al cambio (la parálisis) lo más conveniente es adaptarse y moldearse (conformarse) a la infelicidad. Es irónico que un ser humano pueda y quiera perpetuar los ciclos de insatisfacción, infelicidad, dolor y amargura de su vida en vez de emplear su energía para motivar un cambio. Muchas personas piensan que la vida es dura, difícil, ardua y que sólo algunos, muy pocos, disfrutan de una vida fácil y de alto logro personal, profesional, espiritual y financiero. El conformismo como sistema de defensa permite que las personas vivan en “piloto automático” pero sin atreverse a tomar riesgos mayores para alcanzar y vivir la vida que quieren. Todos tenemos la fuerza y el aplomo para enfrentarnos a la adversidad, realizar cambios, tomar las riendas de nuestra vida y vencer la mediocridad, el miedo y el conformismo. El valor no es algo con el cual solo unos pocos nacieron. El valor es utilizado por aquellos que se dan cuenta de que lo tienen a su disposición para vivir una vida plena y realizada.

LO DIJO UN GENIO...

“No problem can be solved from the same consciousness that created it. We must learn to see the world anew.” Albert Einstein

En muchas ocasiones me han dicho personas que se sienten agobiadas por problemas que parecen no tener solución. A pesar de que la solución puede ser obvia para un observador, ciertamente el estar inmerso en la energía que acompaña un problema actúa como una cámara que limita la visión para resolverlo. Muchas veces es pertinente retirarnos de la situación para verla de otro ángulo, y de esta forma la solución se muestra evidente. Muchas veces necesitamos una pausa en retirada para disipar la bruma de nuestra mente y regresar viendo claro.

REFLECTING ON THE PAST

You may find yourself meditating on your history, thoughtfully reflecting upon your past. In this philosophical frame of mind, you may be able to discern patterns and gain a greater understanding about your path to this point. We do the best we can at any given moment, so looking back need not invite blame and regret. If we find that such feelings come up, we can apply loving forgiveness to ourselves and to any who we feel have hurt us. They were doing the best they could with the information they had. We can look instead with gratitude at the way our lives have unfolded and learn how to make the journey more consciously from this point forward. By reflecting on your history today, you gain insight into the patterns of your life.

It may be useful throughout this process to continuously ask ourselves how we created each situation in our lives. On an energetic level, we are responsible for everything we bring into our experience. With this in mind, we may be able to change our concept of certain life-changing events from negative to positive. Perhaps something that seemed to randomly happen to us was a result of our longing for an opportunity for growth or a chance to prove our strength to ourselves. It may have been subconscious or from our higher spiritual level, but if we can take responsibility for these occurences, we can release any negative hold they may have on us. Looking back today helps you create more consciously for your future.

El Amor de mi Vida

THE NEW LATINA BREED

The New Latina Breed

Latinas today are a new breed, claiming their lives, grounded in their roots. Latinas have learned from adversity and the hardships of the old Latinas, and many have turned their lives around to cultivate their whole selves, rounded, with emphasis in all the elements that entail a woman’s life and a woman’s soul. Many Latinas today have come to understand they are women and because of so they are entitled to a life defined on their own terms.

New Latinas are gifted with incredible qualities, abilities, and skills which make us different and special. Our cultural and ancestral reality have vested upon us a unique way of seeing and living our lives. We are a fusion of races in which the best of each and all has transpired to award us with exuberant physical beauty, great intellectual potential, and noble hearts. We are the result of the old history, seeded in us to harvest a new and improved one, with a promising future in which our presence is latent and evident in all corners of the world.

The New Latina is the sculptured, polished, and finely finished product emerging from the legacy of the old traditions of the women before us. We are strong women who carry in ourselves the heritage of the past in a present full of different challenges than the ones old Latinas faced, but that we face without dimming to reach our highest ideals. We are dreamers of a better and brighter future, dreams that we work hard to realize. There are many Latinas that have decided to claim their womanhood to build the present and the future they dare to envision, and those I salute. There are many more Latinas yet to realize they have the key to open up a new and limitless world, a world of abundance, prosperity, harmony, and power. For those, my encouragement to let go of the fear and begin a journey toward becoming a New Latina.

DO YOU DARE? ¿TE ATREVES?

In the last few weeks I was able to get to meet a lot of exceptional people, mostly women, who are doing what it takes to have the life they want. As I was talking about my own life in reflection of how hard work and determination are key to fulfill one’s life, I could still see in some faces the shadow of the doubt. Many women do not feel they have options when it comes to defining the life they want. Many women do not dare to dream, objecting their own thoughts of progress, growth, and goals with the reasons why those cannot be accomplished. For many, life has been already laid out in front of them without any say in the matter, and they feel obligated to follow the pre-determined path, even when it leads to unfulfillment. I saw the hopeless faces of some women thinking that it takes luck to have a better life, and that the life I was talking about, a life self-owned and lead, belongs to someone else, far away from their reach.

I began to think about what Joan Rivers once said trivially about physical traits: whatever you don’t like about yourself, change it! I have adopted and adapted that say to: whatever you don’t like about your life, change it! I have written before about the old script: how our lives begin with a pre-written script we learn by heart and play by. When the old script does not work anymore in our favor it is time to re-write it. We own the blank notebook and the pen to write our own script. When we write it we get to be the protagonists. When we let others write it for us we can only be co-protagonists, guest stars, make special appearances, or be extras pretending to be part of the play without any special role in our own lives. The question is: do women want to take the responsibility for their own lives, take the pen, and have the guts to write their own script in spite of the old? For many, the old is like invisible chains that prevent any possibility of new growth. Those chains, though, are only in our minds. For those who want to break away there is always a way. The principal ingredient in shaping the life we want is COURAGE.

¿TE ATREVES?

En las pasadas semanas tuve la fortuna de conocer a mucha gente excepcional, en su mayoría mujeres, que están haciendo lo que se requiere para tener la vida que quieren. Estuve hablándoles de mi vida en reflexión de cómo el trabajo arduo y la determinación son esenciales para alcanzar una vida plena, pero sin embargo todavía vi en algunas caras la sombra de la duda. Muchas mujeres piensan que no tienen opciones para definir sus propias vidas. Muchas mujeres no se atreven a soñar y objetan sus propios pensamientos de progreso, crecimiento y sus metas con las razones por las cuales no pueden alcanzarlos. Para muchas sus vidas ya están pre-determinadas, piensan que no tienen nada que decir al respecto y se sienten obligadas a seguir con sus vidas pre-fabricadas aun cuando esa condición conduce a su infelicidad. Vi las caras sin esperanza de algunas mujeres que piensan que se necesita un golpe de suerte para tener una mejor vida y que la vida de la cual yo les hablaba, una vida apoderada y manejada por nosotras mismas, pertenece a alguien más y está fuera de su alcance.

Pensé entonces en lo que escuché a Joan Rivers decir una vez acerca de la apariencia física: lo que sea que no te gusta de ti mismo: ¡cámbialo! Yo adopté y adapté ese dicho: lo que sea que no te gusta de tu vida: ¡cámbialo! Anteriormente escribí acerca del viejo libreto: cómo nuestras vidas comienzan con un libreto pre-escrito el cual aprendemos y vivimos de acuerdo a él. Cuando nos damos cuenta de que el viejo libreto no trabaja más en nuestro favor es tiempo de re-escribirlo. Poseemos el lápiz y el papel para escribir nuestro propio libreto. Cuando lo escribimos somos los protagonistas. Cuando vivimos de acuerdo al libreto que otros escribieron para nosotros solo podemos ser co-protagonistas, artistas invitados, hacer una aparición especial o ser extras pretendiendo ser parte del acto sin ningún rol especial en nuestras propias vidas. La pregunta es: ¿quieren las mujeres tomar responsabilidad de sus propias vidas, tomar el lápiz y tener el valor de escribir su propio libreto? Lo viejo y lo tradicional es como una cadena indeleble para muchas que previene cualquier posibilidad de crecimiento. Sin embargo, debemos darnos cuenta de que las cadenas existen solo en nuestra mente. Para las que quieren romper con lo viejo y ser libres siempre existen nuevas posibilidades y opciones. El principal ingrediente en construir la vida que queremos es CORAJE.

NEW BELIEFS

As we grow up our beliefs are shaped and molded mainly by what our parents believe. Our belief system constitutes a big part of our cultural environment, and most times we absorb it, accept it, and make it ours by default, no questions asked. When we start venturing out of our comfort zone we might discover there are other belief systems out there, and start challenging our own as our concept of the world gets broader. It is not bad to live by a belief system we have “inherited” if it serves a greater purpose and helps us to better integrate and develop a communion with all living things. It is totally acceptable too to decide to change our beliefs if we feel it will lead to a higher learning and evolution.

As parents we instill a lot of beliefs in our children, not only religious, but beliefs of all kinds. It is almost impossible to think about our children as not being extensions of ourselves, and as such we work hard to get our belief system soaked into our children’s pshyche, so much so we would like for them to never question or abandon what we have worked so hard to infuse. However, we must understand that in order for our children to become their own person, questioning, changing, adapting, abandoning, re-shaping old belief systems might aid them in achieving greatness and wholeness as part of their own growth processes. There is nothing wrong in living by old constructs as there is nothing wrong with building new ones. As parents, we have to think about the ultimate-our children’s overall well-being-more than imposing our own belief system into them, even when we think we are doing it for their own good. We must understand that all individuals, including our children, are gifted with free will, and by them changing what we have taught them does not mean we have failed, nor they have betrayed us. We plant the seed, but so many things are in the soil it might make the harvest look different than we might had anticipated, and that is OK too.
Exploring Beliefs

The Daily OM

Today may find you feeling open-minded and interested in exploring liberal and progressive beliefs. You may even feel a bit controversial as you consider philosophies that those you know would most likely dispute. By being willing to investigate ideas from outside your comfort zone, you may act as the translator for those less willing to explore them. When a trusted friend introduces a new idea, it is easier to accept it than when to comes from a stranger. The information that comes after the friendly introduction reinforces the idea until eventually it becomes accepted. Today you can be the translator of progressive beliefs for your friends and family, helping to open their minds as well as your own.Even if those with whom we share these ideas still reject them, we have opened a dialogue that broadens the scope of the discussion. Controversy forces us to take another look at what we thought was absolute and see other possibilities. When we hear new concepts, we find new ways of understanding our current beliefs. It may help us to reaffirm what we already believed or find a new way of expressing ourselves. Learning more about the world pushes the boundaries of what we know and helps us to remember that we don't know everything. This newfound knowledge can help us be more tolerant of those who have different philosophies and help bridge gaps between people of different backgrounds. With your mind open today, you can see life as an adventure of learning and discovery to be shared with willing explorers.

UN NUEVO COMIENZO...

Un nuevo comienzo

Y una vez más llegó la primavera…Las resoluciones de año nuevo realmente deberían hacerse en la primavera, tiempo en el cual todo reverdece, florece y despierta del adormecimiento natural y cíclico de todo lo vivo. El mundo comienza a parecer activo de nuevo, lleno de vida y energía y feliz de experimentar un nuevo comienzo. Mi alma se contagia de los aires frescos de la primavera y respira la novedad en el ambiente, naciendo de nuevo, saliendo del invernadero para convivir con todo una vez más. ¡Qué bueno que llegó la primavera! Recuerda respirar y absorber la vida que nutre a todos y que nuevamente se hace latente en el aire y en las cosas.

Hoy vestiré de verde mi alma y me uniré al trino de los pájaros en celebración de vida, la vida que nunca termina, la vida que siempre vive y nunca desaparece aunque así lo aparente; la vida que se transforma para siempre darse en todo su esplendor nueva, única y especial.

Y la Vida Continúa…

Pensando en el ciclo de la vida y cómo ésta se manifiesta interminable, siempre resurgiendo, nunca acabando, siempre siendo, veo cómo en el fluir continuo de la vida lo que al parecer termina nutre un nuevo comienzo. Las cosas tienen principio y fin, pero realmente no tienen ni principio ni fin. La vida es una continuación constante de cosas que van y vienen, que aparecen y desaparecen, pero no por ello la vida se acaba. Lo que apreciamos como el fin de algo siempre significa el comienzo de lo nuevo o la continuación de lo que ya habíamos comenzado pero pausamos. En ese momento del final, en el cual parece que la vida se detiene, es el tiempo que necesitamos para cambiar nuestra mentalidad y darnos cuenta de que debemos proseguir o recomenzar. Tenemos ilimitadas oportunidades para vivir y revivir el ciclo incesante de la vida, ya sea viendo este ciclo como uno lleno de comienzos y finales o como uno que perpetuamente se renueva pero que ciertamente no tiene fin, y por ende no tiene primicia.

Me Llamarán Poeta

Aquí dejo un poema de mi preferida, Julia de Burgos. ¿Qué dirán de mí cuando muera (si alguna vez lo hago)? Bueno, ojalá que, como dice Julia, me llamen poeta…

Poema para mi muerte

Ante un anhelo

Morir conmigo misma, abandonada y sola,

en la más densa roca de una isla desierta.

En el instante un ansia suprema de claveles,

y en el paisaje un trágico horizonte de piedra.

Mis ojos todos llenos de sepulcros de astro,

y mi pasión, tendida, agotada, dispersa.

Mis dedos como niños, viendo perder la nube

y mi razón poblada de sábanas inmensas.

Mis pálidos afectos retornando al silencio-

¡hasta el amor, hermano derretido en mi senda!-

Mi nombre destorciéndose, amarillo en las ramas,

y mis manos, crispándose para darme a las yerbas.

Incorporarme el último, el integral minuto,

y ofrecerme a los campos con limpieza de estrella,

doblar luego la hoja de mi carne sencilla,

y bajar sin sonrisa, ni testigo a la inercia.

Que nadie me profane la muerte con sollozos,

ni me arropen por siempre con inocente tierra;

que en el libre momento me dejen libremente

disponer de la única libertad del planeta.

¡Con qué fiera alegría comenzarán mis huesos

a buscar ventanitas por la carne morena

y yo, dándome, feroz y libremente a la intemperie

y sola rompiéndome cadenas!

¿Quién podrá detenerme con ensueños inútiles

cuando mi alma comience a cumplir su tarea,

haciendo de mis sueños un amasijo fértil

para el frágil gusano que tocará a mi puerta?

Cada vez más pequeña mi pequeñez rendida,

cada instante más grande y más simple la entrega,

mi pecho quizá ruede a iniciar un capullo,

acaso irán mis labios a nutrir azucenas.

¿Cómo habré de llamarme cuando solo me quede recordarme

en la roca de una isla desierta?

Un clavel interpuesto entre el viento y mi sombra,

hijo mío y de la muerte, me llamará poeta.

Julia de Burgos

THE MEASURE OF STRENGTH

"A woman is like a tea bag. You never know how strong she is until she gets into hot water."-Eleanor Roosevelt.

Strength is a word that only has meaning in dictionaries until we are faced with situations in which we are called to rely on our inner strength to stay afloat. We think we know how strong we are, however, most of us do not fully realize our own resilience until life brings the unexpected or the expected that we fear to even imagine. Usually, individuals assure themselves they would not be able to survive, withstand, or cope with extreme pain and extreme fear, however, many of us have inner strength that is only unleashed on the face of adversity, and is there for us to use, sometimes effortlessly.

Two weeks ago the person I knew all my life as my father passed away. I had been dealing with health issues a couple of weeks before his death, so lets just say it had been a less than pleasurable beginning of 2007 even before this trying time. I had been thinking for a while how would my father pass and how would I be able to deal with his physical absence. Well, I don’t have to wonder anymore. My father’s passing was fast, but I cannot say it was unexpected. Our only certainty as humans is that our physical bodies will cease to exist at some point in our lives, whether we allow ourselves to think about it or not. When our loved ones leave their physical forms we are left with deep pain and sorrow that can be devastating. Many of us, though, are able to rely on a strength that comes from a source that is pure and stronger than we are to make our life ongoing, happier, and one worth celebrating even more, even after an event that causes us so much affliction. I grieve my father’s passing because I will miss his smile, voice, touch, the way he always looked at me and how his sight filled up with light every time he saw me, and the loving words I kept hearing from him for 35 years. He was the man who has loved me the most, and because of him I learned how to love. This is a happy sadness as I remember my time in this earth with him, and I will live the rest of my life celebrating his life.

Now I know the meaning of the word strength.

ABOUT PUERTO RICO AND PUERTO RICANS

This text was sent to me by two Puerto Ricans (of course) and being Puerto Rican myself I could not help to feel deep pride in all this! Now I share it with the world. I am sure each country has treasures like these, worth bragging about. In case you did not know, here are some things to brag about about Puerto Rico.

Why Puerto Ricans are so cool...

We are a mix of the best of every race.

We can't care less what other people think of us.

We are not only bilingual but we can speak "Spanglish"

Our women are the most beautiful in the world, (5 Miss Universes)

We are LATINOS, and yet AMERICANS

Mofongo (that's all I have to say)

In PR, any road will take you to a beach..... or a pub.

We are the only "territory" of another country with our own Olympic teams.

We do everything under the sun... because we CAN!

Because even though we are a territory we are still a whole NATION.

We don't need to take vacations to be in a tropical paradise.

In PR everything is really close.

I can call you sir ("USTED"), and insult you in the same sentence.

Our Spanish is completely different than any other Spanish speaking country.

We all have cool nicknames.

We have the best athletes in the world.

We make some of the best coffee of the world.

WE CAN DANCE!!!!!!!!!

They come from around the world to hire our engineers and scientists.

We are the country with the most roads by square mile (and there is still traffic).

We have the longest swimming pool in the world (Cerromar)

La "Calle del Cristo" (San Juan P.R.) was the first road of "The New World " to be paved.

86% of the rum drunk in the U.S. is from Puerto Rico.

We have more female engineers than any other country. (and you still call us machistas?)

We know how to party, without absurd curfew laws.

We are the major RUM manufacturer of the world.

The bats for the Movie Batman Forever were filmed in Las Cuevas de Camuy, P.R.

We invented the MayoKetchup!

We kicked the DREAM TEAM's ass.

Puerto Rico has one of the world's highest productivity ratios.

Salsa music was the fastest growing genre in the last 20 years.

Four Puerto Ricans received the Congress Medal of Honor: Eurípides Rubio, Carlos Lozada, Héctor Santiago y Fernando Luis Ledesma García.

Only 4 baseball players have 2 Home Runs in the same Inning; 3 of them are Puerto Ricans (Roberto Clemente, Roberto Alomar and Carlos Baerga)

Tito Trinidad never went to the Olympics but defeated 4 gold medal champions.

A Puerto Rican, Nellie Toledo, designed the 1984 Camaro Berlinetta.

We were the 5th country in THE WORLD to have a radio station. (before Washington D.C.)

Junior Cordero (Puerto Rican) won the Kentucky Derby 3 times.

There is only 7 fluorescent lagoons in the world; we have 4 of them.

Giovanni Hidalgo is considered the best percussionist in THE WORLD.

Jose Feliciano is in the top 3 guitar players in THE WORLD (don't forget he is blind).

The Discovery 500; Solar car designed by the Mayaguez College won 41 awards en Sunrayace , Iowa in 1993.

We established the first lottery system in the New World.


NOT TO BAD FOR A 100 X 35 MILES ISLAND...

Author: Unknown

A MOMENT IN LOVE

A Moment in Love

Yesterday my son woke up in the morning and I went to get him out of his crib, as usual. I usually ask him a silly question when I enter the room: “where is a little boy?” to what he responds: “here mommy!”. I then approach his crib and laugh as he begins to tell me something about what he is doing at the moment, which is usually playing with the stuffed toy of choice that morning. I proceed to pick him up and hold him, asking him if he had sweet dreams and what did he dream about, to what he usually responds that he had pretty dreams and names the friends he dreamed about. I sometimes get an invitation to get into his crib and have a “picnic”, lay down and talk, or some other pretend play. I usually get into his bed without hesitation and play, looking at him as he imagines a world in which things are pure, simple, magical, and without worries.

Yesterday, after I picked him up from his crib, I told him: “lets sit down and love”, as I usually tell him after I begin holding him in the morning. He accepted, and we sat down in the rocking chair in his room. His room was dark, and I had the song A New Day from Celine Dion playing in the background coming from the computer. The moment could not have been more magical. I held him for several minutes, smelling him, looking at his little head against my chest, caressing his whole body, gently squeezing his flesh, and kissing him in every place I could. In that moment I decided that nothing else was more important than that special time with my child. There was no place I had to be that could rush me to break the magic. The whole world could wait, as that moment, that little moment of tightness, abandonment, and quiet and overwhelming love was ours to enjoy for a brief time, and only our submission to it would make it eternal. I closed my eyes and let my child be a part of me, strong and subtle, as always, as ever, just being. After about five minutes of that stillness I broke the silence and said: “OK, lets go” to what he responded: “no mommy, not yet”. I could not help but to give in and honor his request for more time. I enjoyed his words so much that they resonated in my head long after the moment had passed.

I stayed with him for a little longer, this time with a smile on my face. The music was gone and all there was was silence and the quiet love between us. In that moment I was greater than myself, as the power of the ultimate surrounded me, transpired me, and got stronger in me. In that moment there was nothing else in the world but our love and our presence, as a magnified togetherness, more apparent and factual than when he was in the womb. He laid on my legs, stomach, and chest, much bigger than when he lived inside of me, however, he was more present and real now, but with almost the physical connection we shared when he was still unborn.

As I was holding him, still caressing, squeezing, kissing, smelling him, he broke the silence and the magic with the sweet words: “mommy, I am done!”, he broke the embrace, escaped my arms, and started running to play as I watched and an even greater smile showed on my face. His toddler energy caught up with him and he realized the world had more interesting things stored for him than being on mommy’s lap all morning. I felt grateful that he was the one who broke the moment; I would have hated to do that, and I probably would have kept it for as long as I could.

I am not sure what that moment meant for him, but for me it meant the world. I felt pregnant again, full of love and light, whole and happy, serene and holy. I wish that he would always take that moment with him, which he probably forgot already, and realize the immense love and gratifying moment we spent together, and realize it is never-ending. As for me, that moment will stay in my memory, heart, and soul for as long as I can feel and remember, and I will use it when gray strikes and when the sun is shining. I am thankful for that moment and for being able to feel love so true and deep, without boundaries and time.

Having yourself is a blessing. Having a child is a miracle!

EYACULACION FEMENINA

Encontré este artículo del libro A New View of a Woman's Body y me pareció sumamente interesante su contenido. En nuestra cultura se nos enseña a mirar el sexo como un tabú, y esto emana de las percepciones de género que se nos imponen durante la socialización y que limitan a la mujer en su fase sexual. Los mensajes que escuchamos durante nuestra crianza, o el libreto, enfatizan cómo debemos ser comedidas, señoritas de la casa, buenas niñas, y además de todo esto significar el callar nuestras emociones, procurar el bien de otros más que el nuestro, cuidar a otros, etc., también significa inhibirnos a la hora de expresarnos sexualmente, o, mejor aún, no validar nuestro ente sexual. Por tal razón, a la mujer se le coarta de su esencia sexual y la expresión de emociones o sentimientos a través del sexo, o a utilizarlo de manera afectiva o recreativa. Recuerdo cuando crecía y, criada por mi abuela, ella intentó instituir en mí el “pudor” y la negación total del reconocimiento del sexo como parte de la vida normal del ser mujer. Esto les ocurre a muchas mujeres de mi cultura, y espero que esta lectura les sea de aprendizaje, reflexión, y un poco de gracia. Como diríamos en Puerto Rico: ¡que venga el chorro!”.

Fluidos Corporales Femeninos

Antes de discutir la eyaculación femenina comentaré algo sobre los fluidos corporales femeninos en general. Nuestra sociedad, así como muchas otras, ve a todas las formas de líquido que produzca el cuerpo de la mujer con gran desdén. A las mujeres no se les permite llevar a cabo la mayoría de las funciones corporales normales; no es visto como femenino. Los fluidos corporales femeninos son vistos incluso dañinos por muchos; hay sociedades en las que se piensa que las mujeres durante la menstruación arruinan los cultivos y hacen morir el ganado. Esto crea una barrera significativa para su placer sexual.

Se espera que las mujeres mantengan una apariencia seca y perfecta, independientemente de sus actividades físicas. Las madres decían a sus hijas que no era atinado involucrarse en deportes porque los muchachos podrían verlas sudando y desarregladas y esto era visto como poco atractivo. Aún hoy, los anuncios de desodorantes y antitranspirantes persiguen la idea de "no dejar que te vean sudar." Se les dice a las mujeres que necesitan desodorantes especialmente fuertes, hechos sólo para ellas. Los avisos de tampones y toallas íntimas enfatizan la capacidad de sus productos para "ocultar" la menstruación de la vista de los demás más que su tarea original que es la de absorber el menstruo. La mayoría de las mujeres preferirían que les arrancaran sus uñas una a una a ser vistas teniendo un "accidente", esto es, menstruando en público. Hay chicas y mujeres que aprenden a disgustarse con la idea de orinar en un baño público, aguantando su orina todo el día hasta que llegan a su casa. ¿Quizá tengan temor de ser vistas menos puras?

Los hombres sudorosos son vistos como sexuales, viriles. Su masculinidad se mide por su capacidad de producir grandes cantidades de semen. Escriben su nombre en la nieve utilizando su orina y miran quién puede eyacular más lejos. Que el hombre ensucie todo con su eyaculación es visto como inevitable, normal, y nunca se cuestiona. Incluso se idolatra en películas para adultos. Los hombres pueden eyacular en la cara, en la boca, encima y adentro del cuerpo de su pareja, y esto es visto como normal. Si la mujer lleva sus fluidos corporales sobre su pareja, ella ha hecho una chanchada. Una interesante doble pauta. Si el hombre puede cubrir a su pareja con sus fluidos corporales, la mujer debe poder hacer lo mismo.

La sexualidad femenina se estropea por estas leyes no escritas. Es difícil relajarse y disfrutar del sexo si usted está preocupada por sudar mucho o por producir demasiada lubricación vaginal. Se ha sabido que las mujeres que producen grandes cantidades de lubricación vaginal, sudor, y que eyaculan evitan el sexo más que exponer a su pareja o a ellas mismas a estos fluidos. Como las mujeres no poseen control sobre la liberación de estos fluidos durante las actividades sexuales, algunas directamente evitan el sexo en vez de arriesgarse a ser vistas como menos femeninas por su pareja. Aunque el deseo de la mujer por el sexo pueda aumentar durante su período menstrual ella puede no tener relaciones durante este tiempo porque teme hacer una chanchada y está indeseable. Las normas sociales referidas a los fluidos corporales de la mujer pueden limitar significativamente la sexualidad y el placer femeninos.

Antes de que una mujer pueda aprender a eyacular, a disfrutar de eyacular, o a disfrutar del sexo en general, debe aceptar como normales sus fluidos corporales. No debe cuestionar la naturaleza o cantidad de su humedad, sea ésta sudor, lubricación vaginal, menstruación, eyaculación u orina. Estos fluidos son una parte normal y natural de las vidas de las mujeres. No hay nada que sea inherentemente malo en ellos. Una mujer no podrá permitirse eyacular y experimentar orgasmos que potencialmente hagan añicos la tierra si ella no puede dejarse ir cuando surge la presión o las ganas de eyacular. Señoras, dense permiso para gozar y disfrutar del sexo.

UNCOVER YOUR TRUE FACE

Es oficial: El Nuevo año está aquí. Ya la algarabía de los festejos y las celebraciones quedó atrás, y ya la vida ha vuelto a la normalidad. Ya ni parece que estamos comenzando un año, sino que ya se siente como que todo ha caído en la rutina de antes y la novedad pasó. Sin embargo, recordemos que aún quedan 350 días de este año para hacerlos lo que deseemos de ellos…!vamos a aprovechar todos y cada uno!

Me llegó este artículo hoy de una de mis publicaciones preferidas: The Daily OM. He escuchado muchas veces estas aseveraciones: cómo utilizamos nuestra máscara ante los demás para complacer, deleitar, alegrar, no incomodar, acomodarnos y hacer sentir bien a otros. Aunque trato de siempre ser yo y mostrarme fiel y tal cual soy al mundo, también he usado máscaras. Lo importante es saber que debemos procurar quitarnos la máscara y dejar ver lo que somos para el deleite de los demás, pero sobre todo, para nuestro propio deleite y paz interior.

Algo en qué pensar hoy…

DailyOM
January 15, 2007
Uncover Your True FaceUnderneath the Mask
Many of us know the feeling of being stuck in a particular role within our families, as if we are wearing masks whenever we see the people we love. Maybe we are the good daughters, expected to always please others, or perhaps we are the family clowns, expected to be jovial and make everyone laugh. This same scenario can play out within a work situation or a group of friends. We may be so good at our role that we hardly even notice that we are wearing a mask, and yet, deep down, we know that we are not free to simply be who we really are. This can leave us feeling unseen and uneasy. There is nothing inherently wrong with wearing a mask or playing a role. It is a natural part of any social dynamic and it can even be creative and fun. It only becomes a problem when you feel that you have no other choice than to wear that mask, and this is especially challenging if you realize you are never without one. Perhaps you have forgotten who you really are—a vast and unrestricted being of light—and have identified yourself completely with a role. You may be the dutiful, caring son who keeps his parents’ dysfunctional marriage intact. You may be the angelic wife who enables your husband to continue on a destructive path. You may be the cheerful daughter to a deeply depressed mother. Whatever the case, knowing the motivation behind your performance—the function of your mask—can help to uncover your true face. Anytime we find ourselves stuck behind a mask, it is an indication that we are entangled in a dysfunctional dynamic in which our true self cannot be seen. We have been placed in this situation for the purpose of our own healing and, in some cases, the healing of others. From this perspective, life can be seen as a series of situations that call us to remove our masks—gently, and with great compassion for all concerned—to reveal the beauty underneath.

Don Omar - Dile

One of my favorites. Enjoy!

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!

And once again a year is “all gone”. Time flew and today is the last day of this time lapse we call year. Another cycle of 365 days and nights, mornings and afternoons, sunsrises and sundowns is finished today only to start a new one. There is a feeling of anticipation for the new, hope for the future for some, relief for the closing of another year for others, while our sights focus on the upcoming year soon to be among us. Although the new year may seem as a new road for us to walk on, a new place for us to be, we really have plenty of opportunities to renew and start again: we have new days everyday of our lives.

A lot of individuals make new year’s resolutions and I used to be one. I don’t do that anymore. I rather not wait until the new year to promise myself I will do a million things that will probably never get accomplished. I rather live day by day and strive to ride on the road to myself the best way I can. In the new year I want to make each day count, be closer to becoming my best, and be true to my calling. I intend to treat each day of the year as a new day full of possibilities and new beginnings. I want to make each night a new year’s eve and a new day a new and fresh start, a new day available for me to do and to be. I only promise to love more and to show it more, everyday, for myself and those whose lives have merged with mine coincidentally through my walks. I want to spark fireworks in my heart each night as I count my blessings and wake up exhilarated and happy about the beginning of a new day, everyday. I want to dance more, sing more, eat more, kiss more, hug more, laugh more, breathe more, and learn from all things. I want to eat in my “special china” more days out of the year, dress up to celebrate each day, and spread the joy.

Happy New Year!

¡Feliz Año Nuevo!

Nuevamente nos acercamos al final de un año. El tiempo voló y hoy celebramos el final de un lapso de tiempo al cual llamamos año. Culminó otro ciclo de 365 días y nohes, mañanas y tardes, amaneceres y anocheceres, y comenzará uno nuevo. Existe en el aire un sentimiento de anticipación por lo nuevo, para algunos simbolizado por la esperanza y para otros el alivio de que cierra este año. Lo cierto es que tenemos muchas oportunidades para renovarnos y recomenzar todos los días del año.

Muchos inidviduos escriben sus resoluciones de año nuevo; cosas que tal vez nunca realizarán. Yo solía hacer una lista de resoluciones pero vivir cada día tratando de maximizar en esa única oportunidad para llegar a mí misma de la mejor manera posible. Cada día quiero verlo como uno lleno de posibilidades para nuevos comienzos. Quiero ver cada día como uno de renovación y hacer de cada noche una despedida de año. Quiero amar más, a mí misma y a los seres que son parte de mí. Quiero que mi corazón estalle en luminarias cada noche y despertar alegre con cada nuevo día. Quiero bailar más, cantar más, comer más, besar más, abrazar más, reír más, respirar más y aprender más de todas las cosas. Quiero comer en mi vajilla especial más días del año, vestirme de fiesta para celebrar cada día y compartir mi alegría con todos.

¡Feliz Año Nuevo!