Joy, Fear, Confidence, Anger, Sadness, Friendship, Disgust Calm, Surprise, Shame, Enmity, Anticipation, Compassion, Kindness, Envy, Emulation, Contempt, Gratitude, Admiration, Pride, Jealousy, Sympathy, Obfuscation, Irritation…
Every morning when we wake up, we are the ones who decide by choice of thoughts, emotions, feelings, desires, or attitudes how we want the new day to unfold in our lives. Since we ourselves are the ones who create the environment to live a “harmonious and happy” day or a “grey and complicated” day.
As we dined celebrating my daughter Amy’s twenty-first birthday, in the midst of conversations full of laughter; She asks me, “How has it been for you to see us grow? I want to know because I turned 21 today.” I replied, “If I give you the answer right now, you’re going to start crying.” So, we started laughing and continued eating.
How many of you can define “WILL”? Because for me it is a total confusion to want to find the correct definition. “WILL” can be an affirmation, denial, noun, verb, question, answer, expression of admiration or simply the absolute truth of BEING.
Time is unforgiving, as the earth relentlessly continues to rotate on its axis every day, as it advances in its unstoppable movement around the sun. The seconds are combined into minutes. The minutes intertwine one after the other until they become hours. The hours play between day and night forming weeks that, reflected in the calendar of life, become months until they dissolve between the hands of the clock year after year.
There are 35 days left until we celebrate “Mother’s Day”, 77 days to “Father’s Day”, 128 days to “My birthday”, 264 days to “Christmas” and I can keep adding events such as graduations, vacations, weddings, and many more that are scheduled to take place on specific dates. These events occur in our lives in a normal way, they can be transitory or sometimes repetitive. It is also common to observe how television, radio and all businesses remind us of the time remaining for a holiday and begin reminding us of urgent need to prepare by buying what is necessary for our celebration to be successful through a constant “REGRESSIVE ACCOUNT OF THE DAYS” that we still experience when these festivities, events or triumphs are achieved.
I have heard this phrase repeated countless times throughout the years of my life, especially when it is intended to be used as an excuse, affirmation or denial of an action that has no reasonable justification. Also, when there is a negative, capricious, disobedient, or simply irresponsible behavior.
We are in May, the fifth month of any given year, and many people have long since left aside all, or almost all their New Year’s resolutions; all of which are established at the beginning of the year in January. It is not relevant to mention that we are living in 2019, since many of us have stopped fulfilling other purposes established in previous years, too.
Each year, by custom or of their own initiative, people reflect on their past and put forth objectives they hope to accomplish in the following months. But as time goes on, they realize that they cannot follow up on any of them and they begin to somehow torment themselves, trying not to give up on their struggle to achieve their New Year’s resolutions. I have been asked, how can I establish a solid foundation to fulfill my New Year’s resolutions?
In many occasions it is not necessary to think about tomorrow when it is enough to learn to live in the present without missing a single opportunity to serve and love.
Who moved the photograph? The photograph, that every morning when I woke up, I observed hanging on the wall; in front of my bed. The photograph, which reminded me of how happy I was! And how happy I want to be again!
Who moved the photograph? The photograph, where I’m seen smiling undeniably radiant with light in my eyes, reflecting the strength of my youth.
In a motivational seminar that I taught, a person stood up and approached me. She approached me screaming, “How can I feel motivated? If, every day that passes I get older?” Then she took off her wristwatch and smashed it against the ground, adding, “How can I stop the time?” I moved toward her, embracing her tightly. I said to her: “Feel free because when you break your watch you have freed yourself from the pressure exerted on you as you see how time goes with the light of day. Cry about everything you want.” I helped her to sit down and I smiled at her. After the seminar we talked. She shared everything she felt. I explained that we must learn to accept ourselves as we are at each stage of our life, to learn to enjoy and be grateful for each day lived because no one can stop the time!
How could time stop? When it drains your hands, like water that is left running because you cannot hold it.
How could time stop? When emotions begin to feel so real and undiluted, that it feels almost as powerful as a falling star that evaporates with the wind.
When we fall in love with someone we like; We are careful, striving to do everything that pleases the other person. Trying not to make mistakes that hurt our partner’s feelings. As human beings we are always yearning for what we do not have, that is why we fight have the love of the person we like returned, striving to reach their heart. For the possibility to be able to have them by our side. But when we have already achieved it, we are bound to make mistakes. We give more value to what we have lost than to what we have, even though in many occasions we are not even sure that it has really been ours. One of the main mistakes we make is that we stop caring about what our loved one likes, wants or needs. And we began to act as our brothers, uncles, parents, friends or neighbors would; forgetting to live our life to be a part of the life of the other. To live as a couple. With which we become copiers that after having conquered the love of the loved one, we dedicate ourselves to losing it day after day by our actions. Because without realizing it, we lose ourselves, by feeling frustrated or confused. And if we do not react in time we can lose the opportunity to be happy; because if we are not happy with ourselves we cannot make anyone else happy. All therefore by simply ceasing to be authentic and original.
THE COPIER
I’m a copier! And I copy everything that I see
I’m a copier! Of dreams, delusions, triumphs and failures.
When will I learn! That love always hurts.
When will I understand! That to love you, I must be real
and not just a faithful copy of any portrait.
EMOTIONS AND PAPER STRIPS 