Ecuador and Donuts

Friends,

Saturday’s 7.8 magnitude quake in coastal region of Ecuador has put me in an introspective mood –as some of you are aware, I’m Ecuadorian. With a death toll over 570 people, 7,000 injured and 25,000 living in shelters, this is the worst disaster the country has seen in generations. The way the news broke in my household was surreal (a WhatsApp message to a guest whose family lives near the epicenter), so were the photos coming-in. A building where it appears a giant baby has whimsically smashed the top half onto the bottom, so it sits precariously perched at an odd angle with half of a crumbling middle floor missing. A crackled asphalt road with a five foot gash where a maroon car is impossibly lodged looks like something Salvador Dalí might have painted. A survivor being pulled through an impossibly small hole in the concrete and rebar. When relegated to remote corners of the world like Nepal, Turkey or Haiti, similar images struck me at an intellectual level –I empathized and felt bad for THEM. Now, even though my mountain hometown was spared, it feels personal. There’s a sense of helplessness mixed with the desire to be there in person to help (not just google “Ecuador disaster relief” and pick an NGO). There’s also a realization that life is short and disaster can strike anyone, anywhere at any time. Armed with that knowledge, you should grab a donut –courtesy of Ashley Button. Unfortunately, my week-long pilgrimage through Windstreamland precludes me from being there to partake of this bounty with you –which means there’s more for you.
Happy Friday!

Comments

BIrds of a Feather

Friends, The early bird catches the worm, however, as the sun rises I’d much rather have a Denver omelet than a diet of worms . Ready to fly the coop, my ducks all in a row, I ponder one more time whether a bird in hand is truly worth two in the bush. Egged-on by my quest to tuck away a nest egg, I’ve decided to change industries and hope that, like the phoenix, my career will also rise from the ashes of change. After all, I’m no spring chicken –my crow’s feet and gray bely my age – however, I have to trust my judgment and believe you can’t catch this old bird with chaff (whether or not folks think me an odd bird for my actions). And so I shall attempt to soar like an eagle, aware that counting my chickens before they hatch would be ill-advised. As I learn to talk turkey in the language of cybersecurity, I will endeavor not to hide my head in the sand, choosing instead to be like a duck – calm on the surface and paddle like hell underneath! And while my excessive use of bird-inspired

Love and Marriage go together like a Horse and... Donut!

Friends, My family gained a new daughter last week. As I welcome the freshly minted Mrs. González, I wish the new couple a lasting, loving, happy and tranquil marriage. I am also reminded of a special delivery I received at the wedding. A few weeks ago, my niece/goddaughter held a “go fund me” and offered to stitch something for the donors. I, of corse, asked for a horse jumping through a donut. The completed masterpiece depicting this unlikely combo now has a special place in my office, and brings a smile to my face every time I see it. That said, I may forgo the obligatory donut today and opt for some of the leftover cake we still have at the house. Happy Friday! New addition to the Family Horse through donut with the artist Horse through donut at it’s new home shelf P.S. The donut wall in action.

Life is Smiling!

Friends, You know life is good when even dinner smiles at you. That said, digging into smiley soup can pose a dilemma. At a conscious level, you know it’s just inert food. Inanimate, unsentient, incapable of emotion or feeling. Still, those cute cross eyed egg eyes and that little pepper smile are saying ”I’m your friend” —and friends don’t eat friends. Naming your anthropomorphic dish only makes matters worse. Eventually, being the monster I am, hunger wins. Mmmm, delicious! (Sorry, Sally). Speaking of which, maybe skip the smiley faces on that next dozen donuts. Happy Friday! ;-)

Friday Donuts

Search This Blog