Grateful SanGivin!
December 4, 2018
Happy belated San Guibin mi gente bella! Raincheck on my tour guide of St. Augustine, Florida. I’ll be there for Christmas so traveling aventuras will resume shortly! Explorando series & traveling on a budget will resume this December!
In lieu of Thanksgiving, I will be diving deep into the term gratitude, and why it is such an essential power that we often undermine! However, my goal this week is to reframe the mind with a heart of gratitude whilst simultaneously staying “woke!”
As you recall in my very first blog, Dichotomy of Latino Diet Culture Gran Combo songs played,
”A comer pasteles (Let’s eat (pastelles) Puerto Rican tamales)
a comer lechon (Let’s eat (lechon) Pig/Pork)
arroz con gandules (Traditional Puerto Rican yellow rice with pigeon peas)
y a beber ron (Drink rum (known as coquito)
que venga morcilla (Bring the blood sausage)
vengo de toooooo” (Bring everything)
Gratitude: We are living in difficult times. Tuning to the concept of gratitude is a conscious practice that allows us to be open to receiving. I recently finished reading The Go-Giver and it depicts that very principle: in order to bless others and give you have to be open to receiving. The concepts of giving and receiving cannot co-exist without one another. TalkSpace emphasizes “We have the power to train our brains and seek out moments of gratitude.” Gratitude relieves stress, lowers the heart rate, and makes us feel more connected. It sets a specific intention. Talkspace introduces the concept of Neuroplasticity: which gives us the power to rewire our brains through conscious practice. Intentional gratitude comes from the corazon and stems from an insurmountable amount of passion. Passion and heart go hand in hand! Dream big and do not let other people’s opinions stop you from being a visionary. Give generously due to passion. I’m not referring to commercial material or the other nonsense that society deems as important. I’m talking about making memories of a lifetime, starting your brand, tapping into your inner creativity, silencing the mediocre voice that tells you you’re not capable. You’re unstoppable and have every capacity to leave your imprint on this world!
“Beautiful regardless of size. No mas transformation photos. Before & After admittedly feeds societal insecurities pertaining to body image. Let’s transform our minds and challenge the way we look at body types and diet culture.” #forgetbeforeandafter #embraceyounow
Visionary: How Gordita’s Way started:
Post weight loss journey, a trillion diets later, and a complicated relationship with food, familia, and personal trainers sums up my previously subconscious but currently deliberate idea of what is beautiful. After the fluctuation, training, & guilt after cheat meals, I had to realize enough was enough! I may have looked the role and even felt hella confident upon reaching my goals, but now when I see that girl, what I really see is someone who wanted to change for the wrong reasons as opposed to changing first from the inside out, nurturing that spirit and filling that cup.
Now ladies, there’s nothing wrong with losing weight and pursuing health and wellness on your terms but it has to be on your terms and nobody else’s. You are enough! Gordita’s Way was an epiphany! We have to do better and stop selling women lies about their self-worth and image! This vision is bigger than myself and I am calling all my ladies to participate in the Viva Gordita Campaign I’ll be launching in 2019! The seed was planted through a self-love journey all while staying true to my identity. Hold me accountable on this platform queens!
Thanksgiving is a holiday where we slam on food, get together with familia, & reflect on your blessings that year. Am I right or am I wrong?! Thanksgiving, or como dicen my familia San Guibin, has unraveled itself historically and horrifically. In school, you may have learned a painted image of natives breaking bread with pilgrims. If you truly want students to take an interest in American History, then stop lying to them. If you want folks to believe in the “American Dream” stop teaching kids about food and friendship that didn’t exist.
Melissa Snapped! Check her out y’all! She’s a freelance artist, comedian, Bombera, Community leader, lady boss, actress, and so much more!
Epistemic Violence: A crime against humanity–the attempt to erase/eradicate people of color out of history all together, giving us a half ass facade of what they want us to know. Which story do you believe? A hopeful arrival of colonists who broke bread with natives or the devastation of a native population that resulted in the genocide and spread of disease to millions, the theft of native land, and complete assault of native culture. I challenge y’all to participate in the National Day of Mourning and give praise and respect to native lives.
Stay tuned for Gordita’s Way next blog diving into privilege, whether it be your gender identity, sexuality, skin privilege–yasss I said it! People of color (myself included) need to recognize our privilege and use it to do better! Have a heart of gratitude this holiday! Last weekend my beautiful parents drove all the way from Florida to Chicago. I spent well needed time with familia, got a surprise visit by my partner, and hopefully am able to bless y’all with this mensaje!
