Why is the sky blue?

Today was mostly a cloudy, unadventurous, wintery day. But late in the afternoon, the sun came out and the sky looked orange. It wasn't a bloody orange like when the sky is on fire during those warm summer evenings, but it was rather a peachy, delicately coral-tinted sky. And as the sun was slowly setting, the shadows in the clouds turned a light purple. It was a majestic color show.
While I was delighting my sight in those beautiful hues, I wondered why the sky wasn't orange, or purple, or green, or any other color but blue. Why, out of all the colors of the rainbow, the sky had to be blue when the sun is shining upon the earth. I could go on a scientific explanation about why the sky is the color it is, and why there are clouds, and why the sun wakes us up in the morning and puts us to bed at night. But for once in my life, I decided that such a beautiful thing needed no further explanation, that it was okay to just sit back and enjoy the show. I won't worry about why the sky is blue, or why there are fish in the ocean and how four-legged creatures evolved from them. Today, I will breathe in the smell of winter roses and feel the cold in my bones. Today, I will forget about the things that trouble me, and I will just look at the sky and forget to ask why it is blue.

Be a human today

I'm sitting at my desk, pretending to be productive when all I can think about and feel is pain. I look as if I was highly engrossed reading the latest scientific article that came out in one of those high impact journals. In reality, I'm reading the news and I can't help staring into the blankness of the page that I'm typing on and let my heart ache.
Last night while laying in bed I was thinking about a blog post that would be about me, and about how my life is so much different than a year ago. But today is not about me. Today's post is dedicated to all of those who are suffering, all of those who are in pain, whether it is because they've lost a loved one or because of a terminal illness.
These simple words go out to those who are chained to their addictions, obsessions or traumas. These humble lines are dedicated to what makes us human and what brings us together as mankind. I wish I could say that I feel your pain, but only you, who is reading these lines, knows exactly what makes your heart ache. Only you know how unbearable your suffering is, whatever it may be.  I wish I could take your pain and transform it into something beautiful. But only you have the power to do that.

Today I wish for a world that is capable of going beyond its differences and unite in prayer for our troubles. Because no matter how many technological or scientific advances we make, if we lose our ability to feel and empathize, we've defeated the purpose of being on this planet.

Today, forget about your pain and put yourself in someone else's shoes.

Today, be a human.

Of princesses and real life

I'm at a coffee shop, listening to Christmas music while I grade my students' papers. The holiday sounds, the busy atmosphere of people coming in and out, the energizing smell of roasted coffee and the endless pile of work to do, for some strange reason, remind me of my undergraduate days. I remember spending countless hours in my school's library, studying, daydreaming, hiding from the masses, because, believe it or not, being surrounded by books makes me feel safe.

I grew up with my nose stuck in books. I loved to read. And I still do. But what I read now might be slightly different from what I used to read back in the day.

I loved fairy tales, just like any little girl would. I was fascinated with stories about foreign and beautiful places, where princes traveled across the seas to find their princesses. Or the stories where good always triumphs over evil. Where the poor suffers and one day teaches the rich a lesson. Yes, I also liked those kinds of stories. And I still do, perhaps because I think of my life itself as a fairy tale, as a work of art in the making. A story that will have a happy ending.

"Life itself is the most wonderful fairy tale." ~Hans Christian Andersen