NOSTALGIA NO ES TRISTEZA

 

Cuando llegado el anochecer

me siento sobre la arena fría,

no es a tí a quien recuerdo,

sino la magia de cuánto te quería.

 

Cuando empieza a brillar la luna

y el mar refleja un color de plata,

no es tu rostro el que aparece

pero la nostalgia que me arrebata.

 

Cuando renace el alba marina

y de oro pinta las olas dormidas,

no es tu nombre el que me envuelve

sino lo que fue mi profunda alegría.

 

Pero nostalgia no es tristeza.

THIS IS THE MEANING OF MY LIFE

Although I always liked to read various literary genres, lately I became immersed exclusively in texts about the meaning of life. Perhaps the years that flow so fast induced me not to waste any more time and elaborate a meaning of life of my own. Almost all the texts that came my way reached a similar conclusion: be honest, have compassion, and be generous. It is true that there is not much more to conceive about the meaning of a life based on ethics and morality. Yet, for some reason, these well-known truths did not seem to be enough for me. Finally, last Sunday I had the opportunity to discover what the meaning of my life really Is. As every weekend I went down to the beach, and when I ran into the young Argentine guy in charge of beach chairs and umbrellas, these were his words:

"I am dying to watch the game against France! Unfortunately, I have to stay here and take care of the umbrellas."

Since I was also born in the country of soccer, it didn't take me too long to understand the young man's plight. For Argentines soccer is more than just a sport; it’s their identity as a country. So, I thought about it for a second and then I said:

"Just go. I’ll take care of your umbrellas while I read."

I will not waste time describing the reaction of deep amazement of the young man; what I will mention instead is how a simple encounter like this taught me a precious lesson about the meaning of my life. Let’s forget for a moment about the money we donate because we don’t really need it. For me living a life that makes sense means taking the time to become the refuge that those around us so desperately need. What about the meaning of your life?

HOY CAMINÉ HASTA LA PLAYA

 

Hoy caminé hasta la playa y en la orilla me detuve.

Cuando me senté la arena me acogió apacible,

y la espuma blanca de las olas se regocijaba

mientras a mi alrededor yo el mar contemplaba.

 

Hoy me alejé de lo cotidiano, del temor y del vacío

para acercarme al agua límpida que se me acercaba,

y en el silencio de esa resplandeciente mañana

bajo ese cielo frío solo un nombre me acompañaba.

 

Solo tu nombre abría las alas hacia las nubes vaporosas.

Un nombre que nunca se aleja, un nombre que no deja

de acariciar mis ojos antiguos, mis manos temblorosas,

ni de recordarme que para siempre estarás conmigo.

 

"And these losses are necessary because we grow by losing and leaving and letting go." Necessary Losses by Judith Viorst.

 

Growing and becoming wiser is the gain left by the estrangements and losses we suffer in life.  If we are able to tolerate with fortitude what leaves us, we become more human.  When I think about my own life, there were two events that made me grow up and understand that life is synonymous with deep loneliness: the first was the death of my father, and the second was my son’s going to the university for seven long years.  Both relationships, the deepest ones of my life, forced me to face the emptiness of absence. The difference between the two was that although the first was an absence with no return, the second faced me with the difficult task of letting go the one who for many years had been the center of my life. Then came the estrangement of those adult friends who no longer shared my same interests, and finally those friends whom death took away from my life forever.  So, as I said earlier, there is no doubt that life is about letting go what we love; and the gain we reap is learning how to face it. Without forgetting that our own death will be sublime or desperate depending on whether we have respected this law of life.