Flashbacks

Its been a weird day.

I have no idea why, maybe its the humidity or the sun and breeze or the building I'm working summer school . . . I have been flashing back to Puerto Rico ALL morning. I mean like I expect to hear Spanish and see green luscious trees, gorgeous bright and colorful flowers, a warm breeze. The dark rain laden clouds running around today did not help.

The building made me flashback to the Universidad de Puerto Rico . . . I expected to see the familiar buildings, the people, the cacophony of noise, the fried food smell. Oh I want one of those ham, cheese and fried egg sandwiches now.

Driving home I was looking for the traffic, the insane no rules driving, the huge amount of people moving everywhere.

There's a Spanish word . . . añorar . . . a deep full hearted feeling of longing for something . . . THAT is the best description I have for it. Añoro a Puerto Rico. I long for the island breezes, the beaches, the warm and humid days, the insanity of so many people in one little place, the friendly people everywhere.

Maybe I'm just longing for the past. For the time I lived there. For those easier going times and having little cares. Maybe I am just getting too old.

I miss the island living. Its different from continental, mainland living. Its the feeling that this is all there is, there is no more, there is no way out, so live it up as best you can with who you can and when you can. That weird "No exit" type of thinking creates some strange behavior. So why do I want that?

Maybe I AM longing for a simpler life. For the past when I did little and enjoyed more. Maybe I just miss it, it is a nice place after all.

Its just weird.

Of course, once I am there (not saying I'm running away to it here), I will start to remember the things I didn't like about it.

But still.

Maybe its just my grandparents around me longing to go back there. Or maybe they are calling me to go there for some weird reason.

Have no idea where it came from. But it head slapped me really fast and it won't leave easily.

I think I'll go to sleep with the sounds of El Coquí tonight.

National Health Insurance

According to statesman.com:

"Every month, 24,070 Texans are losing their health care coverage, according to a report released today by an advocacy group.

The report by Families USA, which advocates for quality, affordable health coverage for all Americans, comes as Congress is weighing health care reforms pushed by President Barack Obama.

The report says that between January 2008 and December 2010, 6.9 million Americans lost or will have lost health coverage, including 866,580 Texans."

With all this, people are still up in arms about this, totally against it. Why? I don't understand. Socializing Medicine? What's so bad about that if it saves lives? The economy is destroying people's lives. People can't afford health insurance, businesses can't (or won't) pay for it.

Things are bad right now. We need to help people. I heard on a TV show "If you hurt one, you hurt all." If we allow one to be hurt, if we allow one to suffer, if we allow and turn away from someone needing our help, we hurt ourselves by becoming calloused and allowing people to be hurt by all this.

I'm glad and happy for some that the economy has not hurt them. I am blessed to know that, no matter what, education will always be needed, so I will have a job. Insurance? So far, so good, but you never know. I want to know that I can fall back on something.

I see my parents paying HUGE amounts for their insurance. And it will only get worse. Why can't they have a government issued insurance to help them get by. Medicare is NOT an insurance policy. It merely pays part of what they have to pay, a small part.

We will all be there at some point folks.We will be old. We will be considered too much of a risk and therefore uninsurable. We will pay huge amounts for crappy service. We will all need something else to help us.

We won't be healthy and working forever.

¡Sorpresa!

This weekend, kind of almost like last minute, I decided to come visit mom and dad. SO well prepared that I left my shoes at home. Its flip flops to church this weekend. Anyhow, it was funny cause I called them, mom answered and while we talked she asked why I was calling, I said "well, I just didn't want you asleep when the surprise arrived", "What surprise?", "I'm half an hour from Norman."

Of course, insanity ensued, why didn't you tell me, the house is a mess, and your room is not ready.

Well worth it. Have helped them with a few things but there is A LOT to do in this house. Today, hair cut. I like my hair long . . . but honestly, in this heat, only short hair can survive!