Failure and What You Can Live With

Sometimes being “tested by adversity” means ostracism, rejection of others you care about, often deeply, who don’t understand or agree with the decisions you’ve made in your greatest time of doubt and instability. It might be for them that you didn’t handle your greatest challenges and problems with enough wisdom, with a backbone of steel, weren’t a badass, or simply you didn’t do things the way they think you should have. Instead, you made the choices you did simply because you did, and mostly because you were you. Honestly, you did the best you could, with what you knew and had available to you. Maybe looking back with hindsight, a proverbial situation of imagining different scenarios for your life, you would change things. The reality, however, is you've failed, maybe not just at some point, maybe at many levels. And for some people in your life, that failure isn’t ok. Relationships are broken and/or dwindle, lost in the aftermath of expectations and disappointments. This being the case, I wonder if you can wake up every morning with a smile on your face? Can you learn to face each new day with both the you today and the you from yesterday? Are you content being you? And can you live independently of the good and bad opinion, the rejection of others, even those who mean the most to you?

Animal Rescate

Animal Rescue - Love this children's book with transparent pages that make happy ending for all these animal babies, a skinned tiger rug, a circus elephant, a turtle in a fishing net, a moose head on the wall, chickens on a factory farm, a crocodile skinned for boots, a bear in a zoo, a shark in fin soup, ... 

Silencio y Las Redes

"Si hubiera un poco más de silencio, si nos calláramos... tal vez podríamos entender algo."
- Federico Fellini

Por favor, no te ofendas si no pongo “me gusta” ni comparto tu página o entrada ni acepto promover momentos de solidaridad, manifestaciones y huelgas. Porque, por muy noble que sea la causa, y también habiendo predicado mis propias causas preferidas muchas veces, sigo creyendo que es preferible hablar menos y escuchar más. Me pregunto, si la gente se ocupara menos de cuestiones polémicas y de presiones de lobbys en las redes sociales ¿no disfrutaríamos de la vida uno con el otro mucho mejor? En un mundo que se está volviendo cada vez más polarizado, las redes sociales están causando grietas feas entre amigos de toda la vida e incluso entre potenciales nuevos amigos. Por lo tanto, como un barco con su brújula marcando el norte, elijo atender y compartir las entradas y acciones que:
1) inspiran espiritual y socialmente
2) promueven las artes y las ciencias y
3) apoyan y reconocen mi comunidad de amigos y familia aquí en facebook.
Voy a intentar no desviarme demasiado ni hacia el este ni hacia el oeste y prometo ser fiel a compartir solamente temas de amistad, caras, fotos, arte y, sobre todo, amor.
"Pongan su empeño en vivir pacíficamente, y ocupándose cada uno de lo suyo".
- Tesalonicenses 4:11

Las Redes (Sociales) - Social Networks

Silence and Social Networks
“If there were a little more silence, if we all kept quiet...maybe we could understand something.”
― Federico Fellini

Please don't be offended if I don't like and share your page or post or accept to promote moments of solidarity, marches and strikes. Because, as noble as the cause is, and having been on my own soapboxes numerous times, I still believe in saying less and listening more. I wonder if more people minded their own political, religious, or other special interestbusiness on social media we wouldn't enjoy life with one another a lot more. In a world that is becoming more and more polarized, social media is causing ugly rifts between long-time friends and even possible new ones. So, like a ship with its compass marked north, I am choosing to steer straight for posts and shares that:
1) inspire spiritually and socially
2) promote the arts and sciences and
3) support and recognize my community of family and friends here on facebook.
I'll try not to digress east or west too much and promise to stay true to the goal of sharing only friendship, faces, photos, art and most of all, love.
"Aspire to live quietly, and to mind your own affairs..."
– Thessalonians 4:11

Just Walking the Dogs

Again in San Román de la Vega, the last time was harvest. Now everything is in bloom and in full green and colourful vibrancy.

Mom's Bran Muffins and Our Lady of Carmen

Up until now every kids' suitcase to Spain has had certain things packed that I haven't found in my new home: split peas, real maple syrup, pure vanilla and molasses. Traveling to Sevilla, however, I discovered that "Miel de Cana", sugar cane juice, is the very same delicious! thing as molasses. So, I bought up, right then and there, two large jars of "Ingenio Nuestra Señora del Carmen's" (all good Spanish things have the Virgin's name) molasses, manufactured in Málaga. What a find!

‪#‎molassesbranmuffins‬‪#‎mieldecaña‬ ‪#‎nuestraseñoradelcarmen‬ ‪#‎momsbakingagain‬

Mom's Bran Muffins

2 cups flour
11/2 cups natural bran (I used oat)
11/2 teaspoons baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 cups plain (or Greek) yogurt
1/2-3/4 cup raisins
1/2 cup oil
1/2 cup dark molasses or! Our Lady of Carmen "Sugar Cane Honey" (that makes me smile).

Preheat oven to 425º F (170º C)
Generously grease muffin tins or use baking cups.
Thoroughly combine all ingredients in large mixing bowl.
Bake until muffins test done - toothpick comes out clean - about 20-25min.