Puff Pieces by Adrian: May 2012

Tuesday, May 1, 2012

First Baby

I write this, knowing that so many more pieces will come. Even so, I stare at my little daughter, sleeping, and I feel this tremendous feeling of love and duty. She is only six weeks old, and she, of course, has no idea how she is affecting me, but she is, tremendously, and in a good way. She gives me hope. She makes me love, as though I hadn’t before. She amazes me, even at her age, with her mannerisms, gestures, squeaks, and grunts. She stretches her arms, smiles, frowns, cries, and clenches her fists. Most of this is normal, but that matters not, because this little girl is as free as can be. I am looking at her now while I write this, and she has no clue of the powerful feelings that she has invoked in me, and with all that, and all that is in my soul and mind, I will project it unto her, and propel her to be the best that she can be, no matter what that is. She is free to choose. I love that. She is my baby. She is my love. She is my life. I lover her, and look forward to her next movement and thought. Life is amazing, and she has touched me deeper than anyone ever has before. That counts for a lot. I love you, baby.

Your World, Babygirl

I have a daughter and not a son. It is extra special to me, because I am going to pour my heart and mind into her, teaching her all of the useful and useless knowledge that I have, in hopes that she will shape her own opinions about the world around her. Most of this knowledge is exactly what I'd teach my son, if I had one. Besides what she learns from Mom, she will also know how to change oil, catch a fly ball, drive stick shift, and anything else that she may be interested in learning from Daddy’s side. Most importantly though, while she will know how to be a lady, she will also know how a man thinks. I will teach her this most important lesson, so that she will be on equal footing with other men out in the world and never be afraid to speak her mind or know that she can be stronger than them. This is important to me, because even today, women struggle for equality in America. If I can help it, my baby won’t be part of the problem, but she will command equality with a strong mind and strong voice. I know too, that she won’t be alone in the fight, as her mother carries the same bright torch. Babygirl, this is your world. Do your thing!

Revolution of the Soul. A Mission Statement.

I am by default, and through no fault of my own, different. I’m not out cruising the boulevard on the weekends, blasting oldies-but-goodies with the homies. I am also not listening to rock en Espanol, speaking in Spanish-only with my friends. I could fit into either stereotype perfectly though, and to an outsider, I probably appear to be from either or both worlds. I have brown skin, which is pretty much all it takes. It’s not that simple though, as others like me surely understand. I speak some Spanish but I also speak perfect English. I went to college. I love hamburgers and fries, and hip-hop, and alternative music. I have simply integrated into American culture from the start, because I was born here, and because I wanted to.

I’m glad that I’m not still stuck in Mexico somewhere, growing up a third world existence, which statistically would have been the case, had my familia never come here. But I am glad to have come from a country and peoples with such a rich and vibrant history. There are many reasons having such a heritage is a good thing, and I am proud to be a part of it. I am glad to have been born here in America, and happy to be part of this system. I’m happier yet that I didn’t grow up as a cholo gang-banging, tagger, too-cool-for school type of guy, even though I’ve had plenty of chances, given my surroundings. That subculture is not all bad either, depending on the level of involvement and the choices one makes. In other words, you can look the part without being a thug, or a social, or immigrant, or anything else, que no? This is true of all life.

So even though I am different, I am by no means alone, and I know this. The problem for me is that I’m not seeing enough representation out there in the media. I’m not seeing a lot of works written, or filmed, for people like me. It annoys me, too, for a lot of political reasons, because our image is grossly misrepresented. Sure the gangbanger cholos are fun to include in film, because violence sells. However, that only perpetuates a false image. These days, it seems as though everyone in this country sees us either as cholos or as immigrants that refuse to assimilate, legal or not. This angers me because we are so many different things including a multitude of diversity within our own subculture. It’s pretty frickin’ beautiful, if everyone only knew…

Either way, I decided to make the changes I wanted to see, on my own. I’m writing stories for me, for you, and for everyone else, and my main characters are all Latino, and not just Mexican-Latino either. My stories are not about quinceaneras or growing up as a pocho in high school. They are not about crossing the border, or starting any revolutions. The only revolution I write about is the Revolution of the Soul. My stories are meant to entertain and inspire people, and hopefully many of you will relate to them in one way or another, and see yourselves there in them, wherever that may be.