I am a writer and a poet, a social critic, a thinker.
I am opinionated (my opinions are based on research and experience) and open-minded woman. I am as sarcastic as I am passionate. I do not apologize for being who I am.
Just kidding, but that is what I'll be ranting about in this post.
No, I'm not offering cookies. I'm offering something better: something for you to think about. Because we, the ladies, also have brains, and we should not be afraid to use such important parts of us.
Ever since childhood we, the ladies, are taught that we must repress our darker side: we always have to be polite, we always have to smile and keep our best behaviour, we must smile when we're angry or sad, when we're forced to do stuff we hate, that annoys us.
We are raised to be people-pleasers at our own cost, our well-being and happiness.
And then the world goes nuts when we snap in the middle of a lousy week.
Ladies, we're like the Moon - we have dark sides too. Though I'm not saying we should act upon our dark sides, we really need to find balance.
We need to face our dark sides, befriend the darkness within and stop being scared of it, of what the world might think of this new discovered friendship.
We need to find balance in everything in life. Our darker and lighter sides, our happiness and other people's. Because, ladies, we only live once, and we deserve to be happy, enjoy our own lives and stop allowing others to live through us. They had their chance, now it's our turn.
Be happy, ladies. Be free. Be whole and complete in yourselves. Join the dark side.
For some odd reason, some people seem to think that a woman is not complete in herself, and has to be in a relationship and become a mother in order to gain status.
For an even odder reason, some people seem to think that a woman can only feel validated when men compliment her.
Here's a few little secrets:
Not all women want to be in a relationship or believe in it, for that matter;
Not all women want to be in a relationship with men;
Not all women want to have children;
There are women that actually know what they bring to the table and don't need compliments from others to realise it.
So... Will this society ever stop being chauvinistic and patronizing towards women?!?
Because this is getting old, and more annoying by the second...
On October 4th the world celebrated World Animal Day 2015.
I wished for the day when World Animal Day will be deemed unnecessary.
I wished for a time when Animals will no longer be tortured in vile experiments.
A time when Animals will no longer be abandoned nor tortured.
A time when Humans will stop seeing themselves as above all species and start treating other Animals as their equals and as having the right to their lives and dignity.
As long as a World Animal Day is needed, I will celebrate it with a heavy heart.
World Map of Endangered Species. Image taken from here.
And so, today, with the turning of the wheel of the year, another season begins, another cycle commences.
I love all the seasons, each season has its special thing about it.
I love Autumn for its colours, its scents, and what I associate it with.
Soon the first rains will fall from the sky (and the emanating petrichor), as will the orange, red, brown and gold tree leaves falling to the ground.
And I cannot think of nothing better than getting home, changing to comfy clothes, preparing some hot tea, grabbing a book or a good movie, a blanket, and going for a lovely "couching" session, while listening to the rain outside. Soooo relaxing!
As you know, the end of Summer and the beginning of Autumn is associated with harvesting, of ripping what you've sown. Something usually done as a community (or, at least, with the help of family and friends) - at least in Góis (Portugal) it is a bit like that.
How can you celebrate such an event?
Think of growth, maturity, change, and how magical that is. Think of apples, pears, corn, grapes, and so on.
You may want to celebrate (by yourself or even over dinner, even if you're the only one in the know) by adding cornbread, apple pie, pear cake, wine or grape juice... You get the point.
Whatever you choose to do, have fun while doing it. Otherwise, you won't be celebrating at all.
Not because today was a long day and I slept little. Which is true and it was for an awesome cause - I went out with a friend, to chill and talk a bit while listening to an outstanding live band play: here's XPTO Band's Facebook Page, should you be curious enough to get acquainted with them.
And not because it was training day, though it always makes me want to go to bed early. I train with an awesome Personal Trainer every Monday, Wednesday and Friday.
I am tired because the world we live in is not always nice or fair.
To be fair, it is not the world - the world is a beautiful place. To be fair it is some people that don't play nice nor are they fair to the rest of the world.
People that think of numbers instead of human beings, people that choose power and money over people, people that use and abuse their fellow human beings, people that choose war over people because it suits them financially or power-wise.
Unfortunately, these people are in places of power, where they can make decisions over lives as if we're pawns on a chess board, where they can create laws so as to benefit themselves.
This is not fair, this is not right, and it should be illegal.
Our votes provide them with a job and we are basically their bosses. They should be working for us, and not for their hidden (and, sometimes, not so hidden) agendas.
And we should be allowed to fire them and throw them in jail for being incompetent and/or corrupt.
Maya Angelou (April 4, 1928 - May 28, 2014), one of my favourite Poets, was an American award-winning author, a civil rights activist, and a brilliant Thinker.
You can find her biography here, should you choose to learn further on this great Lady.
I will leave you with one of my favourite poems, part of her legacy to the world.
Phenomenal Woman (1978)
Pretty women wonder where my secret lies.
I’m not cute or built to suit a fashion model’s size
