Posted by Raul on July 5, 2011
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Looking to the surrounding world; wishing to fly free; afraid of the trade that freedom implies with its characteristic unknown, the bird stands by the open door of the cage, immobilized.
The dreams of the outer world and its wonders from the safety of the cage; the fears of the feeling of abandonment when not protected by the cage, yet free to fly and explore
Decisions, decision!
The little bird steps by the door and takes a quick look around, weighing the pros and cons of continuing with the infinite walk.
“It’s just a quick fly around to know”. Yet the wall of invisible air is still there, holding the fears and insecurities of the unknown.
The thoughts of remaining by the side of safety attack the little bird’s mind, while it fights to preserve the images of the infinite possibilities if only another step was made into the unknown.
The door of the cage was open, but just for a short time before it started to slowly move to become forever close. The little bird, desperate because of the closing door, pushes itself into its deepest thoughts, trying to find the solution to its confusion and indecision about its most logic move.
Time passes no matter what -the only reliable element of physical life- and the door finally become closed.
So the little, caged bird looks around its forever home, and the thoughts of flying free become the dream that never was, yet its heart smiles with relief.
“I guess I never really wanted to go”
Raul
Posted by Raul on June 6, 2011
In any relationship that might be: marriage, parenthood, friendship, etc. the use of bad words or insults in reference to the person we are talking to as a way of joking is something I really dislike. I do understand and accept their use as part of the joke, and we know there are times when a thousand words cannot explain what one single bad word does.
But when those words are used to directly refer to the other person, it is my opinion that slowly but surely it helps deteriorate the relationship.
Say for instance, you make a silly joke to a loved one and the response to you, as a joke, is: “Jerk!”
It might be just a joke, just a word, nothing that has a real meaning or that comes from the heart of the person saying such word, yet (unconsciously) it does become already traveled road that opens the door for another road, and then another, then another, to the point that, without even knowing, the use of insults becomes the norm, putting the relationship interactions too close to the side of disrespect.
Everything we do repeatedly will become a custom and will loose its original intensity.
Having sex before marriage as another process of getting to know each other before deciding if marriage is for them, that I agree; while having sex as a normal element of any party, and just for the temporary pleasure it gives; that I disagree.
Discovering new technologies by their use as a way to learn, adapt to the new times while improving our efficiency, I agree; but getting the latest just to be with the crowd and don’t look like left behind, that I disagree.
In everything we do, if we do it very often, we will loose the magic involved in the process, and it’ll become just the base for something else to acquire in order to recover the lost magic of the first times.
For the same reason, if it becomes the norm to use insults to joke with a loved one, then pretty soon it’ll be necessary to use stronger words to retain the “fun” of it, to the point that someone external to the circle will become shocked by the way they joke with each other.
What has become a natural thing for some could be an extreme for the rest.
Joking with bad words brings resentment in the long run, and also creates a situation of disrespect, even if there was no intention of such thing from the part of those using the bad words.
That’s why I disagree with the use of insults as jokes when referring to a loved one. To keep a positive relationship in the long run, sometimes we have to “invest” in not going too far, as a way to always remain within the range of respect and love each other deserves.
My personal opinion of course.
What is your take on that? Do you accept the use of bad words as jokes with your loved ones?
Raul
Posted by Raul on June 2, 2011
The other day I received this joke in an email. I thought it was funny, but also makes you think of what’s happening in the US, and how people around the world see Americans. (The email was in Spanish).
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The David returns to Italy
After two years loaned to the US, the David of Michelangelo is returned to Italy
Its proud sponsors were:
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Crazy, Isn’t it?
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Posted by Raul on May 19, 2011
The other day I had to replace the bathroom fan, so it implied going up to between the ceiling and the roof. Walking over the wooden frame; avoiding the ceiling made out of sheetrock; over the dusty insulation; in a three feet vertical room; trying not to get my head scratched with the nails pointing down from the roof (those that hold down the shingles)…not exactly my preferred situation!
Once over the bathroom I left the 110 volts lamp over the insulation and proceeded to work on removing the old (truly vintage) bathroom fan. While working on that, and sweating a lot because of the heat and my own nervousness of falling through the ceiling (sheetrock), the light bulb exploded and darkness became all around me.
After removing the light bulb to replace it with a new one I realized there was a missing piece of glass, and could see the problem was my sweating dripping over the heated light bulb. That got me thinking…
Can we destroy our own imagination and ideas (reflected in the hot, lighted light bulb) by becoming too anxious (sweating drops) about the problems we have to deal with (falling through the sheetrock) while trying to accomplish our dreams and goals (replacing the bathroom fan)?
(I know what you thinking: “Here we go…what I was thinking when I clicked in this guy’s blog?”)
Not that a new bathroom fan was my dream to one day accomplish, but rather another freaking problem that had to happen when I had many other things to deal with.
The thing is, how many times we destroy our possibilities because of our own anxiety about the process and the outcome, and even more, worrying about the problems we do and will encounter throughout the process?
How many things could we accomplish if we could learn to just leave aside the worries of the surrounding elements that complicate the process, and that are part of any process?
Or simply learn to switch from the concept of “problems” into a more comfortable thought, which can be also easily manageable.
I must admit that thinking about this while hanging from the ceiling wasn’t exactly the best idea but hey, some people use music to distract the brain while working.
Now I can write about it, comfortably seating in front of the computer, while the new bathroom fan smoothly takes the vapors of the shower away, to the infinite sky (or the backyard).
Have you had sometimes the feeling of being your own “enemy” while trying to accomplish something? Like…being the biggest problem when working in solving the problem?
What is your take on the reasons why people struggle so much to accomplish their dreams?
Do you like light bulbs? (Just kidding) 
Raul
Posted by Raul on May 12, 2011
It’s been with me for such a long time. So long that it seems it’s been forever.
At first I didn’t choose what kind of car it’ll be, it just happened to be there when I wanted one, and so it became part of my life. With a happy heart from my part we both started to roam the land together, without knowing what the future would be.
After so many years of trouble and continuous fixing to keep it rolling, it just became the way things are, without much thought about the practicality of that fortuity association, and even more, the logic behind the continuity of such association.
There was no reason to question why remaining the ownership when the absence of practicality was the norm. Maybe becoming accustomed to the same sight everyday; maybe the bothering thoughts of having to start from scratch at rebuilding and upgrading another one. This car runs good enough, even if it’s not what it’s really needed, so why bother with the restoration process in another car that has the desired characteristics.
But then, without the intention of searching or shopping around, after so many years, this other car showed up and presented many of the characteristics that seemed to be the ones originally desired.
Practicality is still absent, I must add and admit, yet the many different characteristics that make the personality of a car, and that are the ones that most appeal to my desires and needs, seem to be there.
It is not about the opportunity to switch cars, but rather the situation that, having appeared from nowhere, call the attention to the forgotten elements that create the deepest bonding that suppose to be the base in everything.
All the forgotten questioning that became buried in the past, to give way to a dull, numb driving of the already driven roads; and even more, defy the acceptance of continuity when the old questioning surface once again.
But then the doubts: What if, after going through the same long process of restoration, the impracticality still shows up in this other car? Wouldn’t that be changing everything just to get back to the same place? Why bother then?
At the other hand: Is it all these doubts because of fear to fall into the same situation after so much work? What if the different characteristics really make a big difference? Why not to give it a try?
Then again; is it proper to fail to the given word of continuity? And does such condition really exist? What about the roads that cannot be traveled because the actual car doesn’t adapt to the requirements of such roads? Should be a renounce to those roads the proper way of behavior? Or just a point of cowardice or social adaptation?
What a confusing situation!
To drive or not to drive! To restore again or maintain forever?
I can’t deny the excitement of just the thoughts of driving that other car in new, different roads; different to the normally traveled for so many years, once the restoration process is completed (if such thing exists!).
Maybe pondering the situation a little longer; maybe forgetting about it completely and just keep going as it has been for so long, to the point of becoming again “the way things are”
The eternal internal battle of logic and reason against feelings and intuition: Which one brings the permanent, or at least longer, state of internal harmony?
Why do we humans love to always create new problems to ourselves?!
Raul
