Vida Interrumpida

Wow, I didn't realized I haven't been on here in two months.  My summer went by so quickly and now I'm already halfway through the fall semester of my Junior year.  It is crazy how time flies.  No matter how cliche that is, it is the truth.  I was on Pinterest the other day and one of the pins said: “isn't it funny how day by day nothing changes, but when you look back everything is different.”  This is true not only of changes, but of time.  We often complain about how long the day has been, or how slow the week is progressing, but by Friday we can hardly believe the week is over.  And two months later it doesn't seem like any time has passed.  Our perception of time is wondrous--days can feel like years, and years can feel like days.  

That popped into my head when I was working on an assignment for my Spanish class and got sidetracked.  I realized that our lives are full of constant interruptions.  I contemplated the idea for a while and decided to use it as inspiration for the poem I had to write in Spanish.  

Vida Interrumpida  

Playas rompen las ondas,

Paredes cierra las habitaciones,

Ruido rompen la tranquilidad,

Luz derrota la oscuridad,

Tormentas perturban la calma,

Agua agrieta la piedra,

Tráfico detiene los coches,

Mañanas terminan las noches

Dolor termina el movimiento,

Tiempo divide el tiempo,

 

Vida interrumpida.

Translation:

Life Interrupted 

Beaches break waves,

Walls close rooms,

Noise breaks peace,

Light shatters darkness,

Storms disturb calmness,

Water chips rock,

Traffic stops cars,

Mornings end nights,

Pain ends movement,

Time divides time,

Life interrupted.

Simplicity, Sincerity, Service

In our technology centered world, it’s hard to imagine putting your cell phone down to enjoy the outdoors.  Every summer my favorite place to be is in the Pocono Mountains.  My grandparents have a small cabin in a summer community around Pocono Lake.  In some ways it is similar to a country club, because it is a private community for members and their families, but it is much more than that.  I think that to each person, Pocono means something different, an escape from a stressful job, a summer job, anything you want it to be.  To me Pocono is a reminder of the beauty of nature I so often forget to appreciate when I get caught up with life, it is a place where I can slow down and relax. 

For over a hundred years Pocono has operated around a three word saying: “Simplicity, Sincerity, Service.”  At Pocono we put away our cell phones in the main center to catch up with friends we haven’t in a year and we wave to everyone we pass when driving on the 19 mph dirt road.  Even if we personally don’t know each other, our parents, grandparents or great grandparents grew up together.  We are all connected through our love of the lake and everything that comes with it. 

Pocono Lake has become a part of who I am, part of what makes me, me.   The summers I have spent biking around, swimming in, kayaking and motor boating through the lake with friends, or blueberry picking with my Dad are the some of my favorite memories.  These memories make me truly appreciate God’s wonderful creations; the warm summer sun, the cool breeze on a late August night, a breathtaking sunset, the sound of water trickling down a stream, the birds chirping on mid Sunday morning, the dark evergreen trees and their reflection on the gorgeous blue lake.  Far too often the world forgets to stop and smell the roses.  It is something I am making an effort to do more often.  But no matter how much time in Pocono, I will never get used to the hidden beauty of nature.