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Esta historia es sobre el amor. Pero, escúchame. Porque inmediatamente piensa que el amor es romantico. Con flores y estrellas y noches en la cama. Pero no. Este amor es diferente, porque este es el amor de todo el mundo. El presente y el pasado y el futuro. Esta historia del amor abarcará todas las varias formas del amor. Y diré esta historia en partes diferentes. Porque amor viene en partes diferentes tambíen.

This is a story about love. But, listen to me closely. Because immediately you begin to think of romantic love. With flowers, stars, and wild nights in the bedroom. But no. This love is different, because this is the love of the world. The present, the past, and the future. This story of love will encompass all of the various forms of love. And I will tell this story in different parts. Why? Because love comes in different parts as well.

Parte I:

Amor Para Mia

El espejo le da miedo. No le importa a Mia qué espejo, porque el reflejo era casi el mismo. Y, en el mente de ella, el reflejo era feo siempre, porque, en el mente de ella, ella era fea siempre. Y, tristemente, nadie le había dicho jamás que ella era hermosa.

The mirror frightened her the most. It didn´t matter to Mia which mirror, because the reflection was almost always the same. And, in her mind, the reflection was always ugly, because, in her mind, she was always ugly.

A veces, muy tarde por la noche, Mia apagaría las luces en el cuarto de baño. Ella esperaría dos o tres minutos. Ella se pararía sola en la oscuridad y esperaría. Ella se imaginaría su cara diferente. Ella se vería los labios más rojos, ojos más claros, una nariz más pequeña y piel menos imperfecta. Mia pensaría muy, muy fuerte e incluso oraría a Dios por estos cambios. Y después de dos o tres o a veces cuatro minutos, ella  encendería las luces para ver estos cambios. Pero no. Nada. Nunca. Ella parecería la misma, y poco a poco, las lágrimas caerían por las mejillas. “Quizá otro día,” ella se diría, y secaría lentamente las lágrimas de sus ojos como ella apagaría las luces una vez más.

Sometimes, very late at night, Mia would turn off the lights in the bathroom. She would wait 2, maybe three minutes. She would stand alone in the dark and wait. She would imagine her face different. She would see redder lips, lighter eyes, a smaller nose, and skin that is less imperfect. Mia would think very, very hard and even pray to God to help her with these changes. And after two, three, sometimes even four minutes, she would turn on the lights and look to see these changes occur on her face. But no. Nothing. Never. She would look exactly the same, and little by little, tears would slide down her face as her legs grew weak. “Another dia,” she would tell herself as she wiped the tears from her eyes and turned off the light one final time.

En realidad, no sólo era la cara que no le gustaba

 Continuará…

To be continued…

 

I am grateful.

All throughout the world there are different types of people. Some who are optimistic, who see life as a blessing, and who view it as a giant cup that’s perpetually half full. These people wake up in the morning, take a deep breath, and thank whichever god they believe in for the opportunity to be who they are, and where they are.

Then there are others. People who are afraid to embrace life because they are internally unhappy. Maybe they’re disappointed with a relationship they’re in, or with the profession they’ve chosen. And because of this, their world is not a beautiful place. Each day they wake up, and ever so slowly prepare themselves for another mediocre, disappointing day.

But I’m grateful. I’m grateful because I have met people along my life’s path that continue to inspire me. Their positivity and perspective on life pushes me to, in some way, mimic them. Today I received an e-mail from two of my closest and dearest friends, Nick and Erin, who are currently teaching in Cartagena, Colombia. They’ve begun a newsletter of their experiences, and as I was reading it I couldn’t help but become inspired. They are truly loving life, loving each other, and spreading that love as they go.

And it just forced me to reflect about how fortunate I am to have friendships like these. I’ve posted a picture of them at the bottom, along with a link to their site with the hope that they’re love, energy, and positivity continues to inspire others as well, as it inspires me.

The Glab Gazette!!

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don’t open up
it’s safer this way

don’t expose yourself
because some will disagree

some might even criticize

don’t let your words flow
like rivers

which can be dirty,
and foul

rivers can flood and destroy
like words

be safe

take shelter

close your eyes

your mouth

your mind

then you’ll never offend

hurt

or humiliate

yourself

or others.

and

most of all

believe

everything

you’re

told.

** Anarchy and all-out obedience are both dangerous. We cannot be so afraid that we never speak up, yet we must not be so brash and emboldened and even prideful that we never stop to listen. Extremes are harmful to us all. **