Soul bites

Pondering death, spirit and the wrath of God

Pondering death, spirit and the wrath of God

Happy New Year everyone! Mine is off to a shaky start. After spending quality time with family and enjoying the mountains and beaches of my Caribbean homeland, I'm back to the cold reality of winters in the heartland... pondering death and new beginnings. A close family member died unexpectedly the day I came back. My family is feeling sadness and the strange emptiness of losing someone you thought would be around for a long time. This death was preceded by my first experience of an earthquake. It is nerve-wracking not knowing when the next one will strike and whether the…
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Merrily, merrily… life is but a dream

Merrily, merrily… life is but a dream

Philosophy finds its way into our lives through unexpected sources, such as children songs. ¨Row, row, row your boat gently down the stream. Merrily, merrily, merrily, merrily. Life is but a dream¨. The first time I heard this song (not long ago) I was listening intently. I needed to learn the lyrics so I could sing them to my daughter. The profoundness of the last rhyme wasn't lost on me. I quickly wondered why someone would teach a child such a song. A native Spanish speaker that I am, I can't hear a reference to life being a dream without…
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Doomsday Bunkers: Salvation for sale. Can you afford it?

Doomsday Bunkers: Salvation for sale. Can you afford it?

I recently watched the Discovery Channel show 2012 Apocalypse. It shows people around the world making a living from selling doomsday bunkers at outrageous prices, as well as a wide range of survival gear. Other sites, usually blogs by self-appointed modern-day ¨prophets¨are selling e-books, DVD's and asking for donations to keep the 'cause' going. The cause being making more people aware of our imminent demise and 'preparing' them for it. Even the very people who tell you on their posts that they have been endowed by the Gods or powerful aliens to deliver this message want to charge you for…
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The end of the world: the Rapture and other predictions

The end of the world: the Rapture and other predictions

It's past 8 p.m. CST and the "Rapture" predicted by Harold Camping and much publicized by the media in recent days has not happened. Wait, it could have happened at 6 p.m. PST! Did California go down with a 9.0 earthquake? NOPE. No earthquakes in California, no noteworthy earthquakes anywhere. However, there is a volcano erupting in Iceland, the Mississippi River is cresting at 61+ feet and Sarah Palin has the "fire in my belly" for a presidential run. In other words, the world as we know it is over. It ended a while ago. Yes, that world in which…
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Every drop makes a ripple: How your life can impact others

Every drop makes a ripple: How your life can impact others

I met a friend for BBQ and wine this evening. I hadn’t seen him much in close to three years. Out of the blue, he mentions how in the brief time he'd met me, he’d learned how to make rice "the right way"; and I considered how I have actually heard that from a few other people before. While in college, I remember running for Diversity Chair in the student senate. I had actually not made much effort to make many friends up until that point, and I hardly thought anyone was paying attention to the campaign. Then, one day…
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Recién nacidos: rituales y supersticiones

Recién nacidos: rituales y supersticiones

Una de mis primas acaba de tener gemelas idénticas. Dos perlitas dulcísimas (que Dios se las bendiga!). Hoy las fui a visitar y antes de ir ya me estaban advirtiendo: si tengo la menstruación no puedo cargarlas si he cogido sereno tampoco si les tiro un piropo debo decir "Que Dios las bendiga" o les cae mal de ojo si de casualidad les da hipo, debo ponerles un hilito con saliva en la frente Ok, voy preparada con las informaciones necesarias para conocer a mis primitas y cuando llego me informan de que a las bebas las van a "ensalmar"…
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Dejavu – reflections on leaving the town you grew up in

Dejavu – reflections on leaving the town you grew up in

I now remember why I left. I lived among grown people who had their lives made. Their projects were set, their goals clear, their dreams local, and their roots grown. The older ones. The four columns that held the fortress. The younger ones, triad for finish and decoration. I wanted to see what I could accomplish outside of the shadow of that luscious tree, grow my own roots and be my own tree. I wanted to not be at the mercy of, the nickel of, the clock of, somebody else. Unscrutinized to explore the smarts and the dumb. The freedom…
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