Category: Women

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Innocent Addiction

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Last week I followed two stories in the news that shook me to my core. The first one was the picture that went viral on the Internet of a man and a woman in East Liverpool, Ohio who were completely unconscious in a car while driving with a four-year-old boy in the back seat.

According to the police officer, the driver said he was taking his passenger–the mother of the little boy–to the hospital because she had overdosed. The reality was that both, driver and the passenger, were turning blue and needed a shot of Narcan to reverse the deadly effect of heroin. Continue reading “Innocent Addiction”

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9/11: Unforgotten Pain

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Last Friday I had a dentist appointment at 10 a.m. to check on the acute sensitivity of one of my upper molars. I’m a 100% chicken with respects to dentistry work, so I dreaded the visit for a couple weeks. However, the pain started to get worse and the fear of an overnight emergency on the weekend pushed me to go.

The hygienist took some x-rays and said that maybe my sinus or grinding was causing the pain. This gave me hope. Then, the dentist came in, took a look at the x-rays, and applied heat to the troubled tooth, which made me jump like a spring. He sat up straight, took his glasses off and said, “I’m sorry, you need a root canal.” Continue reading “9/11: Unforgotten Pain”

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Towing Victims in Miami

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Last Monday I rented a seven passenger van to pick up VIP cargo in Miami Beach: my Mom, Granny, and two of my aunts. They were visiting from Colombia and had just arrived from a three day cruise around the Bahamas. I had to drive five endless hours listening to the tune, “Are we there yet?” sung by my son every five minutes.

The moment these women boarded the van, it turned into a chicken coop talking non-stop all at the same time. We spent the night at the Cadillac Marriot and enjoyed the ocean view without knowing that, the next morning, we would have an unfortunate encounter with a very dangerous species of blood sucking parasites, and I am not referring to the Zika mosquitoes. Continue reading “Towing Victims in Miami”

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A Culture of Lying

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When I was a kid, I remember getting in trouble for lying. It was the one “sin” I didn’t want to commit, because like the elders always said, trust is something that can’t be unbroken. This doesn’t mean that I never lied—ask my Mom—but at least I tried hard to avoid getting caught or I spilled my guts full of remorse if outed.

However, the world has changed so much that telling the truth seems like an animal facing extinction. The story of the Olympic swimmer Ryan Lochte and his imaginary robbery at gun-point story is the latest and best example of this epidemic. Too often people in the public eye—politicians, newscasters, athletes, or celebrities–get away with murder. Why? Because they have either money or power to reinvent truth. Continue reading “A Culture of Lying”

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Eating Challenge

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Five weeks ago I started a diet for the first time in over six years. The last time I embarked on this venture, I had a stronger motivation than vanity. I was diagnosed with Diabetes Type 1, which was causing POCS (Polycystic Ovary Syndrome.) In simple words, the unbalanced sugar level in my body was atrophying my reproductive system and destroying my motherhood dream.

The treatment included a zero carbs diet and the diabetes prescription called Metformin, commonly known as Glucophage. The result? I lost 30 pounds between March and June and my sugar level went back to normal. It was the thinnest I’ve ever been in my life, but my skinny days were numbered, because the stork started her trip in August and delivered my baby boy the next April. Continue reading “Eating Challenge”

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How to deal with a bully

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As a small business owner, I have had to become a super-combo employee: receptionist, insurance agent, marketing director, and my husband’s favorite, assistant-to-the-President. I can see his satisfaction when he bosses me at the office, and I let him, because he knows that at home he is on my turf.

Out of all the tasks I do, the one I dread the most is picking up the phone. Sadly, the vast majority of callers are rude and desperate. They have little to no patience, except to be understood even in they are mumbling. When I ask them to spell their last names or company names, they shoot off letters at the speed of a machine gun. If it is difficult for a native English speaker, imagine the challenge it is for me! Continue reading “How to deal with a bully”

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Teachers with Wings

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Last Tuesday my son went back to his initial preschool for a super heroes summer camp. Even though he didn’t attend that school for pre-k, I stayed in contact with one of the directors, especially after some devastating news in early Spring. My son’s first teacher, Miss C, had been diagnosed  with pancreatic cancer.

Six years ago, my oldest uncle lost a short, but courageous battle against the same enemy. Therefore, I knew she didn’t have much time left. Pancreatic cancer is the worst kind, because there has no such thing as “early detection.” When this monster shows its ugly face in a MRI, it’s simply too late. Continue reading “Teachers with Wings”

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Love for The Stripes and Stars

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This past 4th of July will remain in my memory as a very special one. Besides almost killing my dogs with an overdose of Benadryl–to keep them calm during the three days of fireworks–we enjoyed great company and food with new and old friends, and I saw a wave of nationalism in the hearts of the neighbors that I hadn’t seen in years.

In our community, houses, golf carts, and even dogs displayed different forms of red, white and blue. I even saw a guy wearing an American flag leotard from head to toe under the blazing sun and 100% humidity!  Continue reading “Love for The Stripes and Stars”

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The last letter to my father

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Life’s order is that children say goodbye to their parents only when they die, except in my case. My father didn’t want to be part of my life, so he ran away from his responsibility before I was born. He hid behind the shadow of a new family and only came out after a judge ruled against him in a child support suit thirteen years later.

I wish my life were less dramatic and things had worked out. But, reality surpasses fiction: my Dad ran in and out of my life several times, until I asked him to leave and locked the door of my heart behind him. Continue reading “The last letter to my father”

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Beach Body

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Last Saturday I took my son to one of the local beaches for the day. It was very sunny, in the low 90’s, but the humidity level made it feel like we were inside a pressure cooker. Thank God we found a parking spot close to the entrance, because I looked like a walking coat stand carrying my back-pack chair, the beach bag, beach toys, and surf board.

The only thing I asked my son to help me carry was the cool-pack—which by the way had his snacks–and yet he whined and complained the entire time. We settled in a nice spot. While my son played in the sand, I just sat on my chair taking in the view and smelling the salty aroma of the ocean. After a crazy week at work, being by the sea in silence was my cheap version of a spa day. Continue reading “Beach Body”