Something to reflect upon (if you're in the mood to do so).

Richard Cory

Edwin Arlington Robinson

Whenever Richard Cory went downtown,
We people on the pavement looked at him.
He was a gentleman from sole to crown,
Clean favored, and imperially slim.

And he was always quietly arrayed,
And he was always human when he talked;
But still he fluttered pulses when he said,
"Good-morning," and he glittered when he walked.

And he was rich -yes, richer than a king-
And admirably schooled in every grace.
In fine, we thought that he was everything
To make us wish that we were in his place.

So on we worked, and waited for the light,
And went without the meat, and cursed the bread;
And Richard Cory, one calm summer night,
Went home and put a bullet through his head.

---

A beautiful poem. An obvious, yet memorable, point: appearances sure are deceiving.

What you see is certainly not what you get. So, take a closer look. Stare, if you have to. Listen. Talk. Analyze, if you may. The point is to see through people. And let them see right through you.

Open book... Open heart ;)

Rafa

A idade do "Por que?"

Yep, that's right. It's here. It's that time in any kid's life when you just can't help asking questions. That's what I'm going through now, at 22.
As it turns out I have been getting some pretty good, and some awesome, answers.
Here are the results of what I like to call my first few polls:

1. What causes dimples?

(NO, dumbies who answered the technical things, that's not what I was looking for! I already knew that they are really caused by a dominant gene in your DNA; however, this is supposed to be personal, even poetic, if I may).

* Memories
* Good perspective
* THE smile
* Crushes (how very 5th-grade of me)
* Winning (ANY game or just about anything)
* Succeeding (in ANY task or masterplan)
* And the ultimate answer: compliments!

2. What causes frowns?

(I realised there was no other opposite to dimples, except for frowns; they mean the exact opposite and are, just as well, exposed for everyone to see in your face).

* An unexpected answer that successfully counter-argues yours
* Bad memories
* Bad perspective
* Deceit
* Hypocrisy
* Being misinterpreted
* Losing
* Failing
* And the ultimate answer : Traffic!

3. What gives you the butterflies?

(This one is actually still in progress; better answers may come along any minute now. The way I see it, so far, butterflies are a great combination of frowns and dimples. There's definite joy but also some concern).

* Tests
* First dates
* Standing in line to go on a roller coaster
* New tattooes
* The first time you look at some guy and think: "How have I never noticed him before?"
* Airports:
- Seeing people off
- Picking up people you haven't seen in a while
- Departing
- Arriving
* And the ultimate answer (for us, teachers): The 1st day of class with a new group

That's it for now. Honestly, this is all very "journalistic" of me. The point here is to dig deeper. Always. Whether people - and myself - feel comfortable about it or not. The point is not getting the answers. It's asking the right questions.

Rafa