I had not been to Washington, D.C., in some three decades. This morning, after walking for fifteen minutes through freezing wind, snow, and generally disagreeable weather, I arrived at the doors leading to my appointment. After fumbling with a frozen bell and intercom, a voice from the other side informed me that I was too early - and added that the doors would not open for another thirty-five minutes.   I had miscalculated my time by about an hour.   So here I am, sitting in a nearby coffee shop, trying to bring body and soul back to a tolerable temperature - a hot coffee in one hand and a hot bun in the other.   Warming cold buns with a hot bun.   Why am I here? My appointment is at the Spanish Embassy, where I am depositing documents showing that I am entitled to Spanish citizenship because my grandfather was born in Spain. My mother later became a Spanish citizen while living in Cuba. Unfortunately, she never had the opportunity to travel to Spain. ...

  REFLECTIONS If everything you offered was not enough, then offer your absence. That may be the greatest act of dignity and self-respect. — Mario Benedetti MY TAKE: Life is an ongoing journey; it covers byways, paths, goes on bridges, and into tunnels. But always, at some point, these divergencies return to the main road. The one we started on, the moment we were born. As some may say, the one we were destined to travel. Every step on this road represents an effort. One already expended, or one that is to be gathered. Not one single step we take, at any given time, is free of this expenditure. We are aware of this, although there will be moments when we just take the steps and do not spend much time considering the efforts made. We want to go somewhere. We convince ourselves we need to get there, even if it means running a deficit we will only notice later. There are moments in life when we will pursue a dream, not caring about much else.   You, who are read...

“THE ABILITY TO THINK IS A GIFT. THINKING IS AN INTENTIONAL COGNITIVE PROCESS. FREEDOM OF THOUGHT AND SPEECH IS A CONCEPT.” I am not altogether sure where this may be taking me, or whether whatever results in the end may be worthy of being posted somewhere -or anywhere. The inner battle we all endure, almost from the earliest moment of awareness, somehow revolves around these concepts: how we understand them, how we use them, and how we may be lauded or penalized for doing so. In the beginning, the thought process simply is . It is taken for granted, so much so that the idea of thinking about thinking is rarely -if ever- considered. We move through early life guided by routines learned from our families and the societal communities we are born into. Unfortunately, a great number of people remain in this state of acceptable, directed actions for the rest of their lives. Many fall into this path because of laziness or complacency. It is easier to “just let it be” than to ri...