MARINA OPPENHEIMER BOOKS AND BLOG

  Describing old age as the age of loneliness has become a common saying in the times in which we live. It is true that our last life stage is a very difficult one, not only because most families end up divided, with children going to seek their fortune in other countries, but because many couples end the journey they have shared. This is also the time when many of us contract diseases that prevent us from enjoying a regular social life. Old age for my paternal grandmother, mother of nine children of whom only one, my father, emigrated from Italy to Argentina, was different. The other eight would never have thought of leaving the beach near Rimini where they had been born and lived all their lives. My life is different from hers because, like many others, I only have one child. This situation led me to realize very early on that the meaning of the word loneliness would be for me very different from my grandmother Gemma’s. Undoubtedly, nowadays life difficulties are of another kind;...

  Some of the most gratifying experiences of my life usually take place when, while reading a book, I realize that the author’s ideas about a subject are very similar to mine. It gives me a sense of security and veracity. This is exactly what happened when I started reading James Hillman’s books. What resonates deeply within me about this author’s philosophy is that to him, psychology is the perfect bridge towards a personal transcendence. Giving birth to this transcendence is what will guide us to find our lives’ meaning; but since we are all different, each one of us will create a different transcendence. As Dr. Hillman tells us, day after day our life should be immersed in the task of soul-making, that is, in creating the path that will give shape to a rewarding life for us. It is not surprising how close this theory is to the Eastern concept of karma; according to how we decide to live, the result will be either a meaningful life or a life that needs to be relived.  Howeve...

  Algunos dicen que el pasado ya no existe porque se ha ido hacia tierras olvidadas, otros, en cambio, ven su pasado a cada paso, negra oscuridad de las horas desoladas. Yo creo que el pasado hace nido en la mirada, en los perfumes que ahora, a veces, nos acarician, en la melodía misteriosa de nuestras palabras, y en el silencio que nos deja el alma apesadumbrada. Fue en el pasado cuando la vida tuvo comienzo, cuando el amor se hizo presente sin ser llamado, para luego esfumarse porque otro hito nos esperaba, y así, hito tras hito, fue naciendo nuestro pasado

        As we all know, marriage was created to establish a certain social order, so that children who come into the world are protected and trained for a productive life. Seen from this point of view, there is no doubt that it is a reasonable invention; And yet, uniting two very different beings for life entails a deep emotional balance that not all of us possess. Let us remember that the two members of this system have a totally opposite view of life. While we women need a healthy dose of romance throughout our lives, men are less luxurious in that regard. The same goes for women's aesthetic attachment, and the importance we give to physical appearance in general. But, while these differences can be ironed out, there are others that are more complex and difficult to overcome.  Such as, for example, that, although today women work and contribute to the family economy, in general it is the man who makes the big decisions in the family. It is no wonder that, as ...

Amazon audiobook It was not my intention in this book to minimize the pain of divorce by any means. My own divorce was a significant loss in my life, and still is. My goal was to share with my readers what this loss has taught me; specifically, that things happen for a reason and that life knows better. Today I can say that I am the person I wanted to be: more caring, proud of myself, independent, and most of all, respectful and compassionate of myself and others. I wish I had known all this when I was young because life would have been much easier. However, I know well that these teachings are not effortless gifts, but the result of intense learning and experience. I now understand that life is a process of self-examination, and that the effort it takes to become wiser is what makes our days on this earth worthwhile.

  ¿ Fue hace mucho… Tendría yo unos doce a ñ os cuando mi madre me dijo un día que, esa noche, debía quedarme a dormir en la casa de mi abuela Chiara porque mi abuelo partía de viaje, y ella tenía miedo de estar sola. Así fue como a eso de las seis de la tarde llegué a su casa, justo a tiempo para decirle adiós a mi abuelo. Si bien el departamento tenía dos dormitorios, mi abuela me pidió que durmiera en la cama de mi abuelo. Ahí fue donde, después de cenar, me acosté y me quedé dormida. De pronto, en la mitad de la noche escuché la puerta de entrada abrirse, y me puse contenta porque supuse que mi abuelo había vuelto a casa; pero al no escuchar a nadie prender la luz, preferí quedarme en silencio y no saludar. Casi enseguida se hicieron oír unos pasos que se deslizaban mullidos por el piso de madera; primero en la sala, luego en el comedor, y finalmente en el segundo dormitorio. Aterrada me dije que en pocos minutos llegarían a nuestro cuarto; y así fue. Los pasos entraron, camina...

  When in my quiet moments I look back on my life I realize with joy that, despite the obstacles, I have always managed to maintain a balance. Every time I had to face a storm, instead of wasting time envying those who lived more peacefully, I invested all my strength in finding the necessary resources to survive the downpour. Although in my early youth I sometimes envied friends who had less severe parents, in adulthood I became convinced that there were few lives as splendid as mine. Even remembering my very strict father, I knew that I would not change him for any other father in the world; thanks to him I was able to live an orderly life. In Latin ( invidere ) means to look at ; in other words, to look more at others than at what we can do to improve what needs to be improved in ourselves. Unfortunately, looking so stubbornly at what others possess usually generates an aversion that ends up unfailingly in aggression. Not only does envying others not yield any positive results,...