Frugality

What does it mean to be frugal? To some it is a word that comes to remind of difficult economic times as the dictionary meaning denotes a prudency to spend. But to me it simply takes me back to the "simple times" where life was simple and we didn't turn many "wants" into "needs!" When I think of frugality, I think of the Native American Indians and their simple-yet beautiful way of life: earth, fire and wind! Or the life of third world farmers where the very source of food takes on an entirely different meaning.

A Pedal Away

Great news my friends. My short story "A Pedal Away," has been published. After returning to my homeland Nicaragua twenty-one years after exile, I met a special boy. At that time the boy was one of the many homeless children that lived in one of the largest landfills, La Chureca. The day I entered the landfill of eternal despair, my life changed and I made a promise. "Tourists come and go, take my pictures and say they will tell the world about me, but I know they don't," the boy said while telling me his story. My throat knotted at the impotency of sitting next to him and not being able to relieve his hunger, fear and overall sense of abandonment. It was then that I made a promise. " I will write your story for the world to know," I said to the boy not knowing if I would be able to keep it--the publishing part that is. Now my story is out in Spain and I will soon receive my copy to share with all of you. A life well-lived is one where our hearts reach out to others without expecting a return.