by UnknownMami on May 21, 2012
I’ve always thought of jealousy as a useless, toxic thing. It is damaging and negative. This I know and yet I am not immune to it. Although the Universe is abundant, there are times when I feel a tightening in my chest and doubt coursing through my veins. When this happens, I face my jealousy straight on, examine it, and reason with it.
Absolutely! Jealousy is a symptom of insecurity and I’ve been known to be neurotic. Do I want to celebrate my neurotic insecurity? No, of course not.
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by UnknownMami on April 26, 2012
Although I was born in the United States, I did not grow up with the tradition of voting. Voting was a “tradition” that I had to create for myself. Raised by a single mother with a green card meant that since my mother was not a citizen she did not have the right to vote.
As soon as I was eligible to vote, I registered. I can still remember the first time I voted and what it felt like. I did not expect it to be such an emotional experience, but it was. I felt overwhelmed with pride and gratitude and shed some discreet tears. I was thrilled that I had a say in the political process.
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by UnknownMami on April 11, 2012
Dear Ashley Judd,
I was surfing the internet and saw a picture of you, I wouldn’t have given it much thought but the headline was something about you responding to criticism about your appearance. Of course, the headline was a little more alluring than I am making it sound. Anyway, a couple of clicks later I found myself reading your essay on The Daily Beast. As I read, I smugly agreed. Yes society is misogynistic, yes the obsession with women’s appearance is absurd and demeaning. It all made sense and spoke to me because I am raising two daughters and I feel daunted by the task. How do I help them mature into strong intelligent women in a society that does not celebrate girls or women as complex human beings, but instead wants to objectify them and judge their worth based on attributes like age, weight, and beauty? [Click for more...]
by UnknownMami on April 10, 2012
One of the things I do in my life is work at an arts organization that attracts visitors from all over the world. It is a lovely place to visit and a lovely place to work. Many people who visit this place are not English speakers, if they happen to speak Spanish I can be of help.
I was helping a couple from Spain and when it became apparent that they were uncomfortable in English I switched to Spanish. Grateful, the man said, (in Spanish, but I will translate) “You speak Spanish so well, where is your accent from?” I responded that my family is from Mexico and he said, “You need to lose that accent.” Holy crap, that comment made me go from friendly to pissed off in no seconds flat. [Click for more...]
