I know I've been somewhat absent these days, but I haven't died. I'm sorry I haven't published anything substantial lately. July has been crazy, and not having a computer to actually write my articles on is becoming a nuisance. And writing on my phone is impractical, so that's why my content has been so mediocre for weeks now. I'm trying to fix that, I promise.
I have no idea how to do this, so... yeah, well, be patient.
This is the first newsletter I've written, but you know, you never know if you're good at something until you try. The problem is, if you're like me, you won't be content with being bad at something and will do everything possible to achieve excellence. Unless we're talking about sports, in which case, do NOT count me in. Unless we're talking about challenging me, in which case, you CAN count on me not letting you win.
Anyway, I'm no expert at writing newsletters, but I think I know enough to know that it's not about endlessly talking about random, pointless things. Okay, okay, I'll shut up.
β¦What was I saying?
Oh, yeah, the procession of what follows. Hurry up, keep reading, keep reading.
Star Wars, yellow roses, and Dr. Pepper
May was anything but exiting. I didn't go out much, nor did I do many unusual things, but I like to think there are wonders to be found within the ordinary.
Amongst the ordinary things, we celebrated my sister's birthday, which happens to be on May 4th itself. May the Force be with you! I still vividly remember that chaotic day seven years ago when we all got up to go to the nearest hospital, which was an hour and forty minutes from home. In the midst of all the chaos, my other sister, who was two years old, accidentally stuck her fingers on the fan and, as expected, cut herself. Fortunately, it wasn't serious, but given the circumstances, it was quite shocking.
This year for her birthday, my sister received a huge gold balloon in the shape of a 7. I'm guessing we had some special food and dessert, most likely a lemon cheesecake, but don't ask me for specifics because I can't remember right now and I don't feel like getting up and going to ask my mom. Let's just say it was a beautiful day in May, and that May 4th has double meaning for me. Double excuse to celebrate! (Just kidding, I don't like public celebrations.)
On another note, May always reminds me of one thing.
Yellow roses.
Yellow roses are my second favorite flower. Which doesn't make any sense because yellow isn't my favorite color, not by a long shot. Yet, somehow, I love yellow roses. Maybe not because of their appearance, but because of what they mean. They mean that one day, my grandmother went to the store, saw a yellow rose plant, thought of me, and bought them for me as a birthday present. For some reason, those flowers reminded her of me. And maybe that's why I love yellow roses.
So the closer my birthday comes, the more I think about yellow roses. And the more I think about yellow roses, the more I think about that person who one day decided to give them a special meaning, even though it wouldn't make much sense for them to become my second favorite flower.
And speaking of birthdays, that brings me to what happened this year on my 19th birthday.
I'm the Dr. Pepper girl.
I literally collect hanging cans of Dr. Pepper soda above my desk. Anyone who knows me in person can attest to this, and the proof is that for my birthday I received six cans of Dr. Pepper from my family and Snickers chocolatesβI didn't count the latter, they were mine anyway and they weren't going to multiply just by counting them.
I'm sure I've already bored you talking about birthdays, but seriously, except for a visit we had from some friends, May was probably the most boring month of the year so far. And that's why I'll give up trying to make it sound interesting.
And so I bid May a boring farewell.
*yawns and starts counting the seconds until she can talk about June*
A wall of stones, and...
The first week of June was BUSY. Not so much for me because apparently my head decided it was the most perfect season everβnote the sarcasmβto have a series of back-to-back headaches, but at least I got to watch others work and be blessed for it.
It all started when one of our supporting churches sent a construction group (a couple with their daughter and five other men) to fulfill a mission: to build a stone wall on the land where the church members meet.
Except for the girl, who's my age, all of them are over forty-five. My family and I were worried about them because, to be honest, we live in a place with a climate that not everyone can handle. We're known for living in a place with hellish weather (their words, not mine).
But these men were determined to shatter our expectations.
It was impressive to see how day after day, for a week, they would get up very early, have a cup of coffee with bread, and go out in the trucks to pick up stones from the river to take to the church grounds, unload them from the trucks, and then move them from one place to another as needed to build the wall.
Not only did they achieve what they had planned, but they achieved even more.
Once the wall was finished, we went to the beach to celebrate. I usually hate going to the beach, but this time it was totally worth it. Not for the location, not for the luxuries, but for the company and the time we spent with each other.
Each member of this group of workers came with an incredible testimony, one of those that gives you goosebumps and makes you look up to heaven with eyes of wonder and gratitude. Apparently, coming to this place in the middle of nowhere was like a confirmation for them of what God wanted them to do with their lives.
It was wonderful to see how the simple act of working together and achieving the impossible gave them the answers and put the pieces together so that each one learned something new (myself included, although all I did was cook, interact with them, and teach how to make crepes).
And take that as my micro-devotional for today because, seriously, I can't be serious when I'm writing in βletterβ mode. It's like having a dose of nonsense injected directly into my veins. Although it also depends on who I'm writing to, and since I know half of the people reading this are my friends, it's easy to let my silliest side come out. Sorry not-sorry, fellow Elephants jsjs.
Anyway, back to the beach events, after eating and spending about two hours on the beach, I suddenly realized that there was a lot of noise (I was reading and not paying attention to anything else), and the group leader was trying to rush everyone to grab their belongings so we could leave as quickly as possible. And amidst all the hustle and bustle, the one word that stuck in my mind was: crocodiles.
We were going to see the crocodiles in their natural habitat and we had to hurry because closing time was approaching.
I'd like to know when they sedated me to force me to sign my agreement with such a crazy idea, because I'm pretty sure that if I'd been in my right mind, I never would have agreed. We're talking about crocodiles! Live crocodiles! Untethered! Without any kind of protection!
Yet, despite the internal screams in my head telling me it was a terrible idea, there I was, sitting on the shoreline in a boat that rocked with every movement. The journey started sooner than I would have liked, and in a split second we were traversing a freshwater aquatic forest in search of crocodiles.
Spoiler alert: I survived, I didn't die.
The only thing I regretted about that hour I spent floating over potential assassins was leaving my phone in the truck. I tried my mom's, but I hadn't even taken three pictures when the beauuuutiful battery DIED. It was the hour of sunset, and I would have taken some incredible pictures with the sun setting in the distance and a vast plain of ferns growing along the sides of the water road.
After that, we headed back home, stopping only to eat one of the best pizzas I've ever had in my entire life (seriously, I'd travel those two hours just to eat it again). Under the veil of night, we headed back home, and thus ended one of the most enjoyable days of my life.
Our dear group of workers left the next day after Sunday service, not only satisfied with their work but also very interested in returning as soon as they heard of an upcoming trip to the middle of nowhere. One of them even left his palm hat, asking us to look after it until his return, something we have been doing faithfully ever since.
After that exciting first week of June, things flowed with a monotony closer to the normality of our lives. Not much interesting happened after that, so much so that I don't remember what I did, except write, watch two or three movies, go to the kids' club on Saturdays, go to church and have dinner in the afternoon with our missionary coworkers on Sundays, trying unsuccessfully to break my reading abstinence... oh, and the normal things a human must do to survive.
All in all, June was a truly good month in which God's mercy was more than evident. My time was filled with people I appreciate and others I had to learn to appreciate, and that's more than enough to give thanks for continuing to breathe the contaminated oxygen of this world.
And this is where I say goodbye to June and all of you. Remember not to lose your sense of humor, and may God bless you!
Random extra content
C'mon, guys, I'm not that boring! Do you think I'd leave without giving you some fun? Of course not! Here's some extra content you can get some use out of.
I may or may not have been obsessed with this song for a whole weekβseriously, I'd fall asleep listening to the tune in my head and wake up the same way: Instant Crush by Daft Punk
I reread one of my old articles that, in my amazing humorous opinion, you can't miss: About chickens and writing books
Random Tip: Thunderstorm? Do NOT take a shower, stay as far away from water as possible. Water is the best conductor of electricity, and lightning is electrical energy, so... yeah, I think you get the picture.
Battle-themed inspirational quotes:
A random pin:
Random memes just because:
It's poll time!
Did your post Back to Bother You get deleted?
Haha, I loved all of this newsletter to be honest, I'd love to see you do more of these. I love yellow roses too, but not for any specific reason (your story is amazing tho, reminds of Sierra Jensen and daffodils) although red is my favorite color for roses because they are classic. The stone wall story was amazing!