First Attempt

The best way to determine if you are ready for something new is to be into it even if you were not ready for that. It's kind of weird specially if according to the inexistent but mental traceable life's plan you were meant to be at a certain level of success at this point, but none of that had happened quite a bit. I remember in a job interview I had 15 years ago, which I acknowledge it was a bit disturbing because the interviewer never landed straightforward to the point of it, yet one of the questions was: How do you look yourself in 10 years? Interesting question I sighed. I don't exactly remember my answer, but it was something like: "myself looks like a realized man with his own house, stepping upward to the highest hierarchy position in the company I'll be working on, traveling to many countries, in a few words, I look myself successful". I have to say that I fantasized a lot, yet it could be because of my age during that time. When you live your life in your early 20's everything is wonderful, which is awesome, so you fuel companies, projects with fresh and new ideas that can boost them in a positive way. However, after those 10 years, nothing of the words I said to the interviewer happened, yet it is kind of discouraging though. Even though I'd attained moments that made me the happiest man on earth, like my marriage, when my daughters born, personal achievements, traveling, and so on; I am not the person I described on that interview, and I still think that I should start from zero in this moment, so everything made during those years can be called my First Attempt.

Basically, when you are playing a game where a winner should come out, even though if the opponent had scored against you, there is always not only one more chance to score back, but several ones to turn the result favorable to you. The footprint value when we leave this world will depend on how we worked throughout our life to help others, not in the amount of wealth you made. I remember a good piece of advise an elder man said to me some years ago: "In this life you make history regardless of who you are. What type of history do you want to be remembered with? You can either make good history or bad history, but it'll be history anyways". It always hit me hard when I recall that advise, because time goes on very fast, and that words become stronger year by year. I would add to that advise: Depending of the relevance you did on this life, your history could be unnoticed. So, if you are blessed with the gift of life, never is too late to take some action if you want to leave this world wether with a history to narrate about you or a blank page about you. 

Today is a great time for a reassessment of all the actions to be done in order to make the second attempt, in case the first was unsatisfactory or undone. Sometimes we need hurtful stimuli to push ourselves to act quickly. To give you an example, one stimulus can be a job loss. When your main source of income is watering and you know that you'll have positive balance at the end of the week, it's easy to critique others and entitle yourself against the non-privileged ones. So then, plot twist and the fountain of your weekly income has cut off, it definitely forces you to take actions, yet it can be painful if you needed that income to cover basic needs and to provide to your dependents.  

So, what the second attempt will be? Think about it. 

Thank you!!

George Floyd and Victoria Salazar

 

Image by @sirakiry

Abuse of power is the most inappropriate use of authority in any form. When somebody is in charge whichever the commanding position is, it is not enough to deprive people from their rights but lead a person to death it can be considered a ruthless way to exert their authority. Entities like The Police Corps are entitled to employ the force when it comes to execute the rule of law because any culprit wouldn't be that peaceful upon committing crimes, in most of the cases, they face fully armed criminals so the police should be prepared with the same or even better weaponry than their opponents. 

Taking a look around to most of all police departments it's familiar to us the motto "Serve and Protect". Of course those two words comes to our mind when we look to an officer walking around us. However, this article recalls two recent events which show a different appreciation about the Police. On May 25th 2020, the world was witness of a cruel video which displays a police officer pinning a handcuffed man to the ground using his knee on his neck. His name is George Floyd and his crime was paying with a counterfeit $20 bill. After about 9 minutes of having the officer's knee pressing his neck, Floyd lost consciousness, and in a few minutes the paramedics declared him dead. A question surges, did he deserve to be killed just for a counterfeit $20 bill? This question and the fact that Floyd was a black man and the officer Derek Chauvin is a white man it leads to a racial hate crime. 

Drawing taken from Derek Chauvin's trial. Source EN24

As a result, several protests flooded across the U.S. demanding justice for George Floyd and raising a voice to stop the racial hate. A country full of stories of segregation, redlining and mistreatment against racial minorities had awakened this sentiment of unfairness which had prevailed throughout the years, yet it seems that there are too many stakes to overcome.  According to the New York Times:

Since the death of Mr. Floyd, protests have erupted in at least 140 cities across the United States, and the National Guard has been activated in at least 21 states.

Protest asking for justice for George Floyd (via NY Times)

Those days were so intense. A deadly growing pandemic, curfews and the national guard deployed across several cities, and the former President Trump being careless about Floyd's death but people looting and vandalizing monuments. However, nothing is worthless when it comes to make everyone's part to incite big changes in the system, so is the message for the ones bewildered with this type of events. During this days, we remember George Floyd as the trial of Derek Chauvin is running right now, so it will be a big exam if the system is fair enough to people have trust in it. 

Very close to Derek Chauvin's trial, on March 27th, Victoria Salazar, who was a Salvadoran immigrant worker in Tulum, Quintana Roo México, was killed by an officer while in custody. The way she was killed is very alike to George Floyd: pinned to the ground with the officer's knee on her neck, so after a few minutes she was unconscious and medical authorities declared her death. The medical statement said:

The post-mortem examination has revealed that Victoria Salazar died from a broken neck, the attorney-general for the state of Quintana Roo said on Monday.

Oscar Montes de Oca said that she had suffered "a spinal fracture caused by the rupture of the first and second vertebrae". He said that the officers had used "disproportionate force" against Salazar.

Four police officers have been detained and will be charged with femicide, Mr Montes de Oca added.

Victoria Salazar being apprehended by the police. Via BBC 

This murder of Victoria awakened an outcry by protesters which swarmed throughout Mexico claiming justice for her, in addition to a series of femicides which are constantly occurring in Mexico. Furthermore, she left two orphan daughters, and to make this matter even worse, one of her daughters was reportedly missing after her mothers death, but the authorities found her three days after. However, Salazar's husband was detained by the police and accused by Quintana Roo's attorney general for abuse of her daughters. It's so outrageous and unfair. 

It's very important not being shut with this injustices happening in this modern era. We demand an end to every racial and misogynist hatred, regardless who the executors are. The police role is very important to keep every city balance, so I don't believe that all agents have those intentions that the ones involved in those crimes did, but they are on the eye of the world when something alike to Floyd and Salazar deaths occurs.

Hopefully Floyd, Salazar and the rest of people who have been victims of related crimes have their respective justice.   

Equilibrium

Image source: MIT Sloan 

“Nature's a balance. There's always a price. For every give, there's a take, and for every success, a sacrifice.”

― Martin Olson, Adventure Time: The Enchiridion Marcy's Super Secret Scrapbook!!!

I've never spotted something so accurate like this quote. If I want to step up to the next level of whatever I want in my life, there's a price to pay, so it's the worth of the sacrifice made. I believe in smart moves, accurate maneuvers, knocking the correct door, speaking with the right person. Everything should be aligned in order to break it through. Have you ever made so much effort through the incorrect path? It's hard to say but it's so dissapointing that all the effort is worthless. But when the idea is wielded with the correct tool, and with the correct people, you flourish. 

A few years ago, an elder man, a former client,  who worked as manager of a company of decades of operation, he told me: "What kind of history would you like to be known for? You can be either the bad guy of the history or the good guy. You choose what you would like to be". I appreciate that advise that always comes to my mind until today. Sometimes I am afraid if I already did sufficient to achieve, yet I still don't know if I didn't even start to work on it. It's hard to know and it keeps me uncertained what it comes next because there are so many things I achieved but lost, like a rollercoaster with ups and downs, so it seems pretty unfair to me. Have you ever felt insecure even though at the same time you are feeling entitled? I believe on the word Equilibrium. 

Equilibrium it's like a seesaw. Although the difference of both persons weight, once the force applied to counterweight the other individual mass, the seesaw swings up or down. Life plays with us, and we have to find the way to balance it. Otherwise, we get caught on its trap. I hope you get it. I'm still on the search. 

Finding Inspiration

Everyday comes with a new challenge. Silently, my mind spoke to me on a way that I never felt before. Level up, don't give up. Practice and rehearsal are crucial keys for perfection and success. So, what was the hint? Whatever the language you speak the most, poetry is a learnt skill which requires wide vocabulary knowledge as well as having something to write for. I have great admiration for the people who just need a couple of words, so they can create an ongoing story whether is true or not. Sometimes I feel astonished when I know that big books were written based on something that happened on one night. However, a good piece of writing can be obtained as a result of several years of studies of certain theme or career. J.R.R. Tolkien found inspiration to create The Lord of The Rings series by years of studying about Old English literature, especially Beowulf and combining the studies of ancient mythologies such as Greek, Celtic, Finnish and Slavic. My case can be different. I am in a process of reading as much books as possible to utilize new vocabulary as well as visualizing into different epochs. It's not easy as it seems, yet when I find myself a peaceful moment where a bunch of ideas hover around my head, so it means that I'm ready for something else. Two days ago, while I was doing my daily twitter scrolling, I came across to a twitt where the user asked something like when is the moment on a new relationship to truly say "I love you"? I though about inspiration, so I wrote this poem:

Let me say something I want to express,

Because it's going too fast so I cannot explain,

I didn't feel this way since the day we first met,

Nobody can't tell you but me, so I cannot regret.

Can I call this love or it's just delight?

Sometimes I want to ignore it but my smile can't deny,

Because my past just reminds me tears on my eyes,

So my feelings inside tell me to grant a big chance.

There's no written rule on how we have to love,

If it brings peace and joy we should let it flow,

If it's going to work, time will let know,

So if you liked these words please make me a bow

I know the end of the last sentence was a just for fun moment, but the intention of this writing verses practice was as an exersice to find the correct rhyming words so the message I want to express to be coherent. On my high school years, I was so reluctant with literature, poetry, reading. I never ended a book, yet I didn't find the interest of them. I am totally different with literature, so I'm having a hungry of reading but now it happens the opposite: I want to read, but I lack time. LOL. Being a parent of two little daughters (my princesses), so time matters. I finally understand the real value of time than never before. 

Finally, I hope all the motivation which in all of a sudden came through me, it doesn't fly away. I'd like to make use of these classic writing tools like blogger and Medium which never be old fashioned for people like us who like a good piece of reading. 

Take care.

Headlights

It happened. The title of this post suggests something like "heads up". Work overflow and parental routine could act as a silent killer. Whatever your main activity for living is, our body sends us signals that things are not ok. How often do you feel more tired as usual? Therefore, that tiredness affects our mood, yet we don't feel like intercoursing with anyone else. It seriously damage our social relationships.

We are something like the perfect creation. We store in our long term memory all things we watch, we listen, we read, we make. We are able to identify if something can go wrong when we combine our sensors and everything stored in our memory. We are problems solvers. Every challenge we are set to do, even though its difficulty level, we find the way to solve it. If we don't have the right tool, we create it anyway. If somebody doesn't believe us, we find the way to find the perfect words to change their minds. We are the perfect math processor. We are dexterous with numbers like anyone else, so we can figure out instantly if somebody is plausible just by a couple of calculations.

However, heads up. I've learned when to say stop. We are like machines, yet we are not machines. Sometimes letting go it's healthier than keep on holding. We are naturally attached either to people or things, but certainly we need to constantly evaluate if that bonding is either benefitting or harming us. It's time to turn on the headlights, visualize our surroundings and be aware of everything. We don't have to wait until last minute.

Keep well!!

You changed my life

Back in the days, I didn't realize that my life would flip over with the blink of an eye. I was experiencing several changes on my job, and a series of financial decisions had been already made. I remember exactly the time when my wife told me that big surprise: You will become a dad. I cannot describe how I felt, but I remember a certain type of shivering of happiness and uncertainty that those words drew into my body. Nobody is prepared for that. I was 28, yet I didn't even feel that I was able to carry a newborn on my arms. I remember when I carried my little nephew, then he instantly cried because he felt unsafe on my arms. That memory came to my mind when I visualized on how it will be like to carry my first baby.

As the days went by, a day like today but eight years ago, my daughter was born. I've never felt that kind of happiness to see that tiny being coming out with that loud crying that suggested that she was healthy and safe. Though all that happiness and joy that my daughter brought to all our family and friends circle, the best was yet to come when we checked out from the hospital, and we were about to head to our home. The sleepless nights were about to start. Those are things that every new parents experience at first, but I remember that even one bloating on her tummy was capable of make our nights that dreadful. Fortunately, we passed over it.

With all the things as a baby and as a toddler lived on, including sicknesses, tantrums, funny occurrences, mischiefs, and so on; my daughter taught me so many valuable life lessons that I would never caught if I weren't be a dad. It's not the same thing observing parenthood than living on it. The things that I never imagined to do before that happened, I undoubtedly did and with bonuses. I developed strength, willpower, maturity and other manners which helped me to raise her. Now I am father of two beautiful daughters, so they are so especial for me, but the things you learned with the first one when practicing newbie parenthood, those things are unforgettable though.

On the picture shown, my daughter Gabriela when she was 1 year and 4 months old. Now she is much bigger, but the same childish face.

Thanks for reading.

This too shall pass

A few months ago, I was planning how my 2020 will be like, yet I tried to figure out how to get a serious commitment with myself on some unaccomplished goals. I reckon nobody was plotting ahead how our life would change in a glipmse, and it seems those changes will be part of our daily living at least for a couple of years. On my 37 years of living, I've never seen something similar which affects the entire globe that flat. It is the first time I look that people are being subjected to such self awareness. Sometimes it's hard for me to see even children wearing a mask, yet I think it's harder for them to be banned from socializing with other kids when we know this is part of their natural behavior.

On the other hand, this Covid19 novel will lead us to practice a set of new habits that would benefit our way of living. I am sure that people will take cleanliness more seriously than ever before. When have you been instructed on the way you washed your hands? When did you ever clean and sanitized your groceries? During this time, I bet there were so many people that received their first online class or work session. I guess this way of conferencing will remain forever. Whoa.

The saddest part for me is the economic outbreak ahead. So many businesses have not received even a penny during the lockdowns. Things would never be the same for lots of them. I personally had the fortune to be on a technical area which was classified as "essencial", so I haven't stopped working. But so many people had been either furloughed or canceled from their jobs. Nobody has the ability to predict how the economic recovery will be, but I think that as humans we have the great willing to overtake every kind of crises, even though how dreadful the panorama was. On this moments, people show the best of them. Human kindness brings hope to our world.

I hope this too shall pass. It's going to be a new beginning for many people, yet the most important thing is to be alive to relate the havoc of everything what it was.