La Pluma #13

Hola <<First Name>>,

Beliefs. As I wrote #13 on this issue, I paused. Should I just skip over this number of mala fortuna and go right to #14, like the hotels that skip that floor number to by-pass the belief in bad luck?

Next I wrote the date, 17 de marzo, a number that make some people see green. To me, it is the anniversary of my mother’s birthday. Despite only having a pinkie finger full of Irish blood, her birth date was celebrated with shamrocks, napkins covered with rainbows and pots of gold, and the ever-present leprechaun. It culminated in a journey to Ireland where we both kissed the Blarney Stone for good luck. Beliefs.

In Spain, Mexico, and throughout the southwestern United States, there is another little man roaming through folklore. Depending on your source, El Duende will be described either as a goblin living in your walls, waiting to come out at night to cut your toenails, often removing an entire toe – or a generous elf who helps lost children find their way out of the woods. El Duende might be invoked by mothers much like the bogey-man. Others simply view duendes as impish tricksters. If you only find one sock left in the clothes dryer, the duende likely has the other one.

Beliefs. Before we are too hasty to dismiss a leprechaun with a four-leaf clover or the duende hoarding single socks, ponder how all cultures have similar entities, often behaving in parallel patterns. What are your beliefs and what are their origins?

Ready to take on a challenge? Slow down today and notice how your beliefs mold your behaviors. What do you see in your world? Share your comments in my latest blog post: March On: A People’s Journey through Time.

Oh. And, go easy on the Green Cervezas. No telling how that might change your worldview!

Tu amiga,
Profe Jan(et)