I am currently studying abroad at the Hebrew University in Jerusalem. I chose this place because I believe that in its very essence, the land which is now Israel is also the holy land which God promised the Jewish people. Nevertheless, after being here for roughly two weeks, I can say that I’m connecting with the land and I’m noticing some changes in the way I experience life.
Perhaps these changes are due to being exposed to a new environment, or due to the realization that my problems are minimal in the grand scheme of things. Admiring the beauty of an oasis, such as En Gedi, which appears in the middle of a huge desert, and watching the way the city of Jerusalem appears to be made of gold when the sun sets, or even being able to float carelessly in the Dead Sea while sipping a beer…all those little moments that would seem otherwise unimportant, have become important to me. They are constant reminders of the beauty that we often ignore when we worry about things that we cannot change. In less words, I guess you could say I’m learning to appreciate creation and the fact that I can breathe, and there are people who I love and who love me.
All is well, even when things seem hard…”Sababa” they call it here in Israel. Sorta like Hakuna Mattata. No problem is ever so significant as to prevent us from admiring God’s gifts to us and living life to the fullest, as we were created to do.
Shalom.
He closes his eyes as the world around him seems to become
more and more overwhelming
and he feels the strain in the back of his head
telling him to rest
and in the bottom of his soul he hears a voice
that he thought was long gone
screaming to come out and let him realize
that life is merrier on the other side.
He stares at himself in a mirror known to corrupt.
He sensibly thinks of who he is
the addition of a plethora of life experience
the collection of a myriad of October nights
filled with tears and laughs
and the memory of a conditional love
that he still dwells on.
He thoroughly thinks of what he wishes to become
Never taking time to appreciate
the things in life that go beyond
a reflection in the mirror
the things of which his life is made of.
The mirror becomes his enemy
because he no longer knows what he wants.
He does not know the person who stares back
and judges his efforts to change
the things that haven’t always been the same
the person who seems to wear out at the sight of success
the person who lets an envious gaze steal his shine.
He stares at a mirror that watches him give up
and doesn’t hold him back.
A mirror that fails at showing him the pleasant reality
that lurks behind the vices that have become an escape
from the fears that he doesn’t want to face.
And he laughs, he laughs as he sees the image in the mirror
fall apart. He breaks the glass and moves on with a life
that now has more meaning.
He moves on and embraces the world
with a renewed sense of self.
And he knows he will once more
face a man in the mirror whom he does not know.
And he knows he will once more
find the man within himself.
By Diocelyn Batista Rijo
