Tuesday, January 28, 2014

Plan B, C and D


Plan B, C and D
January 28, 2014
By: Gina Yoryet Roman


Right now I am munching on cereal while I watch ‘Yoga for the Knees,' and Tai Chi, How To: Quick and Easy Way to Treat Knee Pain or StiffnessI am trying different things to help me get through this unexpected and long lasting knee injury. Therefore last week I tried Bikram Yoga for the first time ever. Sadly it didn’t fulfill my expectations. The room wasn’t as hot as I had hoped, there were too many people, and I got bored, plus it is very expensive! I guess I don’t see how simple stretches will help me heal? Patience has NEVER been one of my virtues, maybe I should let things flow and give room for the fermentation process until I reach 1000% wholeness once again. 

I’ve also eyed one or two Pilates videos that someone recommended me last week. And last but not least, I am getting mentally prepared to make my debut for my early workouts twice a week as of next week. It’s been too long since I’ve had consistency with my workout routines because of the pain that doesn’t give room for motivation. The analgesics and anti-inflammatories I started taking, are helping as well, I only hope this is temporary because I miss being pain free. 

On my way to the gym after class today, I thought of how my workouts sessions are that random these days that it is very hard to encourage myself, so I had to come up with plan B, C, D, and however many plans there are in order to be well like before. If I could be stronger than before, I would be like WOW! But if it doesn’t happen like that, I want to at least be able to stop experiencing physical pain. All I want is to lead a healthy lifestyle and be able-bodied even at a later age. Among the different things I am trying, I am doing my best to squeeze in one pilates session a week with my physical therapist who is an expert on that. I will schedule one acupuncture session as well to see the results. 

I am taking each day at once and doing my best not to think about the pain but sometimes it is too intense. Let’s see what all my plans have to offer...

Sunday, January 26, 2014

Unlimited opportunities


Unlimited opportunities
January 26, 2014
By: Gina Yoryet


Today is the second anniversary of my grandmother Mary Lou’s death. I don’t know if this had to do with my mood swing and lack of energy until I talked to grandpa on the phone. Yesterday I was very hyped up and felt amazingly well unlike today. I was doing my best to not be down in the dumps this day but I couldn’t help it. During mass while I listened to homily, my mind wandered to the last time I saw her and a few tears rolled down my cheeks. When I talked to grandpa I was surprised to hear his very positive voice cheering me up. 

I had imagined that he’d be weeping like he has the other times we’ve talked and I’d be the one trying to soothe his soul but he wasn’t. I love conversing with him because he is one of the most loving, understanding comforting and supportive people I have ever known. Just when I feel like I’m about to throw in the towel, he tells me that he’s very proud of me for coming a long way. Even at eighteen when I used to work as a hostess where he used to have breakfast every Sunday after mass, when I was young and immature and when my future was so bleak, he was able to see right through and put his full trust in me. 

That was the first time anyone ever believed in me and determine that I was going to be very successful. He tells me that I have accomplished a lot despite life’s setbacks and that he’s always known that I would reach and accomplish higher goals as I got older. Despite this I feel like I am not even halfway as there are many things lying ahead. 

Only when I have consummated everything that I have wanted in life, I will see that there are unlimited opportunities for me like he says. “Do you realize how much talent you have young lady,” he asks me. I laugh and reply, “sort of!” His assuring voice and praying are the only ways I can compose myself when I am feeling fearful. 

Other times I am well aware that there are unlimited opportunities for some people more than for others and deep down I know that I belong in the more fortunate ones category. In the meantime I am working towards that and biding my time for the right time and place for my passion to reveal my purpose...





Sunday, January 19, 2014

A special guest


A special guest
January 19, 2014
By: Gina Yoryet Roman


On our way back from church this afternoon, we ran into Father Romo and one of the priests in training. When he saw us carrying a few plastic bags with groceries, he offered us a ride (we always walk to the temple as it is only a 20 minute walk), and we nodded yes, immediately.  During our ride I asked them if they had already had lunch and they both said, “no.” “Oh Lord, it’s too late, you must be really hungry, want to come over to our place? we can fix something quickly.” I asked. “ok,” they answered with a wide smile on their face. 

During our ride I was thinking about how selfish I tend to be sometimes. For example when I was walking I was telling myself, “I can’t wait to get home and hop into bed, I am so tired, my knee hurts and I can’t handle this pain anymore!.” But I felt revived when they accepted our invitation and I momentarily forgot about my feelings and physical issues. The power of kindness overturns our mind towards another direction, that of others’ needs and suffering and it entices us to add the unique spice of love to simple actions. 

When I was cooking I looked at their hungry faces through the corner of my eyes and felt comforted for being useful and providing for two hungry people who cleanse our souls and do so much for their community. I felt very blessed for having such special guests join us on such quiet day. Giving back and doing something for my priests and our church has always worked when I have to tend to my feelings. Just when our society overwhelms me, I seek for them to regain peace, quiet and emotional balance and I find it. 

Since I was sixteen years old when my voluntary affair initiated, not only did I bond with the needs and hardships of others, I enjoyed doing small things for them because those small details are what make a difference in someone’s life. Even back then when I was a teenager, I said to myself. “if I don’t become successful, I will become a nun to do charity work and help feed those hungry souls.” The final word hasn’t been said, like I said on my previous post, “I have not heard God’s calling yet, or perhaps I am too oblivious to let it happen. 

Regardless of whether or not my destiny is to become a nun, I will always provide food and warmth for the special guests at my fraternity...

Friday, January 17, 2014

It is NOT a coincidence


It is NOT a coincidence
January 17, 2014
By: Gina Yoryet Roman


Someone once told me that God is manifested through people, objects, places, animals, transparent and meaningful places and messages, or throughout  our every day circumstances. Not long ago that character shed a light on my restless mind that asked the same question night after night since I was a little girl. “God, are you there? It’s me, why do all my prayers always go unanswered? 

Later in life the questioning changed to, “how do you hear God’s calling? through reflexions, people, places, dreams, is it revealed deep down in your heart? How can you feel God’s presence so directly, clearly and precisely? Those doubts were voiced out to the priests and seminarians at F. S. S. P.the Catholic fraternity I am part of once when we had them over for lunch. Some have answered that the unexpected yet yearned calling was channeled through a dream, others have said that ever since their childhood they felt it deep down and they saw the signs. 

As for me, the thought of joining a religious order has crossed my mind several times throughout my life but more so recently. A brilliant clue to consider it the calling, could be that the more I learn of the morbid and narcissistic actions of humanity, the less interest I have of such mundanity. Another approach God is taking towards me is through his angels such as H and M. White who have believed in me more than anybody else and guided, supported me and given me their unconditional love ever since I was 17 years old. Another two of his angels are A. W., a C. P., two very warm women who have nothing but kind words and actions for me. Our respect and admiration is mutual, that’s why they will always be a part of my life. And the fourth meaningful personage is C. K., who I met about three years ago. He is one of the most successful and well accomplished and traveled man I’ve ever met. He gives me advice in these areas of life; business, traveling, relationships, religion, and all the important matters there can be. 

People like these guardians add value and give a true meaning to my life with their kindness. For example just last weekend during our Skype meeting on Sunday, the message C. K. conveyed was NOT a coincidence as I had been thinking about it a few weeks prior to that. He said to me something like this, “You know Gina, I am learning to make soup, this year I am resolving to add love to the simple things in life. If you add love to the simplicity of life, you will be greatly rewarded. 

That same advice given to me by another person the prior Thursday was NOT a coincidence either. J. V. R., one of the seminarians at F. S. S. P. was visiting for the holidays. One day I helped him write a response essay about his reading, The Ballad of the White Horse, by G. K. Chesterton, (I’ll write about this later). When we were done, I was running late for class so I asked him for a lift and during our ride I confessed that I had been trapped amidst melancholy and solitude for a couple of weeks and he narrated the story of Saint Teresa of Avila, who did even the most insignificant deeds with love and everyone questioned why she was canonized. 

What’s more intriguing is the synchronism of three different individuals including myself. Maybe it is the long sought answer to my own skepticism. The same forewarning came to me  two weeks before the holidays while reflecting. 

I told myself,
“Gina Yoryet, you have to appreciate life find joy amidst your daily actions and events. Sometimes life can be frustrating when things don’t go the way we want them to when we want them. But even in the midst of those times, it is our duty to find love and project it.” Three people starting with me, were in concurrence with the same acumen, that’s why I know that it is NOT a coincidence. 




Tuesday, January 14, 2014

I don´t get it!


I don´t get it!
January 14, 2014
By: Gina Yoryet Roman


Ok, I am a few pounds over my expectations BUT I am still within the limit according to my height and weight and. Then why does my knee still hurt as if I were back to recovery days post surgery? I mean I was doing ok, much better than now. It feels as if I were moving backwards instead of forward.

Through some thinking of what might be triggering the pain once again, my mind took me back to this post on January 1st:

Just when I thought things were getting somewhat better, the other day during my power walk, I tripped and fell into a drain. LOL! Looking back, it seems funny but it was very painful at the moment. With the impact my operated knee and calf were badly scratched. I was lucky to get myself out of there and limp towards a nearby bench where I sat down for a few minutes to get myself together. To make the long story short, I am still swollen, scratched and bruised and it still hurts to walk.”

That’s right, just when I thought I was one step away from reaching 85% recovery, I came across another  physical interference. Today in particular my knee hurt substantially (and it still does). As I type, my long-suffering knee is stretched out on a chair in front of me and I am putting hot compressions on it. I feel like a grandma! Ha, ha! I decided to walk to work and since I was on my way there, my left shoe started rubbing on my foot and that turned into an enormous blister. When I got off I was debating whether or not to go to the gym because both my calfs were very tense as well. My decision was yes and I felt better. 

How and when did this physical ordeal initiate? Going back to last year: After trying physical therapy eight weeks I thought things were going to be ok, then four, six ten months, a year went by and there was improvement but I never reached 100% wellness. I thought that I’d get there in November, December but NO! I couldn’t wait to wrap up this year and start a new on 2014 until the unexpected. I cannot get too demanding with my body and expect the prior performance. 

I will once again try to take each day at once, be extremely careful and pray to get as strong as before.

Tuesday, January 7, 2014

Restrengthening my temple



Restrengthening my temple
January 7, 2014
By: Gina Yoryet Roman







I no longer recall how long it’s been since I last went to the gym. When I used to keep track, one day sans working out felt like an eternity. Looking through my workout journals, I  reached out for the 2011 one when I was getting close to my best shape ever.

Life now is like this:

All through 2013 I felt weak, over my normal weight, ate A LOT more than I should have,  didn’t hit the gym and missed a lot of power walk days. I impressively didn’t become impatient or frustrated, not after having undergone a never ending hiatus. Although I was always very aware that 2014 would be a new beginning, without EXCUSES, with the promise of a new year and another opportunity of life.

Wrapping up 2013 my motivation went stray and I couldn’t pin down discipline, the incredible self-control I sometimes boast about, and predetermination (I couldn’t find a reason to write, didn’t find it necessary to work out, and thought it was pointless to pray when most of my prayers have gone ‘unanswered’). Part of it had to do with the loss of granny Mary Lou White on January 26, 2011. That ill-fated day is around the corner that’s why I told myself that grandpa Hal needs more support and I am going to call him twice a week every week. When I talked to him the other night, I could barely get a glimpse of the words he was grumbling out, I got choked up that I couldn’t put my feelings into words. Hearing him weep over the phone enfeebles me because I cannot undo his sorrow. I will continue praying for his soul to heal some day.

That predicament among another one or two, were wringing out all my energy and focus but I am back on track once again. Grandpa told me, “Every single problem that you have encountered, you have found a solution to Yoryet, you should be proud of everything you have done.” He is one of three people other than my immediate family who believe in me and who have nothing but sweet words for me. 

Now that I finally got a hold of myself and despite not being physically ready because I still have pain on my knee, I will start all over again. Today one of my students made my day and told me that I looked thinner, that was the right shot in the arm I needed! I will take it easy to avoid hurting my body and will build my discipline again. I want to refresh my mind, body and soul to brighten my every day and for me to wear this wide smile!

Sunday, January 5, 2014

La importancia de la escritura


Part II
January 5, 2014
By: Gina Yoryet Roman


I impatiently and enthusiastically awaited for my chance to broadcast a radio program to emphasize the importance of writing for over a year. That opportunity occurred on November 27, at 105.9 FM radio frequency featuring Adriana Coronado Gil, Simplemente Adriana en Radio.

Earlier last year, the last week of May, after being invited to give ‘What a Writer Needs,’ workshop at ASFG, I was very frantic to continue on reiterating how important writing is. Notably ever since my writing affair started,  I’ve strongly believed that one of the highest values of writing is that it defines one’s character, it reveals the real YOU.

Sadly nowadays not many seem to care about decent and legible writing because they ‘don’t have time’ or because they were not ingrained that value from a very early age on. Neither was I ingrained that value as a child nor as an adult. I developed that love because I really wanted it to happen. Therefore, from the perspective of someone who loves writing, some can say that it comes natural to me. That is NOT true, all my life I have struggled with finding the rights words to express myself. One of the reasons why I started putting my thoughts, ideas and reflexions through this means was because I grew up with a lot of taboos and many topics were forbidden at home. Since I was a little girl I wanted my diary to look nice, pretty and expressive. Later as an adult, I no longer found it relevant to keep confessing my personal matters to my ‘best friend’ (my diary). 

At that point I gave my mind some food for thought and came up with a blog. Back then I still lacked something though; how to express myself more clearly and legibly without sounding redundant. To this day my thesaurus has been one of my most faithful companions every time I post. Through this channel every time I’ve posted, I’ve relied on it to enrich my vocabulary and give more importance to writing by virtue of finding my purpose...

To share and pass on my self-taught abilities to all my young High School, College and University apprentices as well as my adult learners. And form more responsible individuals to help our community, our country our world reflect a better image.

On top of that, writing is important because:


         Writing is the primary basis upon which your work, your learning, and your intellect will be judged—in college, in the workplace, and in the community.
·         Writing expresses who you are as a person.
·         Writing is portable and permanent. It makes your thinking visible.
·         Writing helps you move easily among facts, inferences, and opinions without getting confused—and without confusing your reader.
·         Writing promotes your ability to pose worthwhile questions.
·         Writing fosters your ability to explain a complex position to readers, and to yourself.
·         Writing helps others give you feedback.
·         Writing helps you refine your ideas when you give others feedback.
·         Writing requires that you anticipate your readers’ needs. Your ability to do so demonstrates your intellectual flexibility and maturity.
·         Writing ideas down preserves them so that you can reflect upon them later.
·         Writing out your ideas permits you to evaluate the adequacy of your argument.
·         Writing stimulates you to extend a line of thought beyond your first impressions or gut responses.
·         Writing helps you understand how truth is established in a given discipline.
·         Writing equips you with the communication and thinking skills you need to participate effectively in democracy.
·         Writing is an essential job skill.

Wednesday, January 1, 2014

Everyone deserves a second chance


Everyone deserves a second chance
January 1st, 2014
By: Gina Yoryet Roman


They say that it takes 45 days to form a habit or perhaps longer. On the other hand, it is very easy to get dragged into lounging around and do nothing, becoming unproductive can happen at the blink of an eye. I’ve experienced that before and I fought against it every day because I don’t like sitting idle unless I am bedridden.

Unfortunately towards the end of November and December I was struck by melancholy and mixed emotions about unexpected happenings and seeing people I hadn’t seen in a long time. I’ve always been vulnerable and easily affected by life’s changes. Yet, I can ‘adapt’ quickly. 

I have not worked out since early November, I had not posted since December 16, I have devoted very little time to my prayers, I have not read as frequently as before and last but not least, I have not done any volunteer work since sometime in October. 

There’s more than a handful of excuses to everything really. This year though, was my worst one physically. Ever since July of 2012, one physical problem after another happened unexpectedly. This hindrance almost impaired me to perform full force at the gym - All this year I felt like a grandma, not only did I lack strength, motivation, discipline, drive, my self-control and purpose went stray. I felt like a stranger in my own body!

Just when I thought things were getting somewhat better, the other day during my power walk, I tripped and fell into a drain. LOL! Looking back, it seems funny but it was very painful at the moment. With the impact my operated knee and calf were badly scratched. I was lucky to get myself out of there and limp towards a nearby bench where I sat down for a few minutes to get myself together. To make the long story short, I am still swollen, scratched and bruised and it still hurts to walk.

To be honest, I am very bummed and unmotivated to get a head start physically impaired but I am learning to be patient and I tell myself that I have a whole life ahead of me to get in shape. I am trying to make GY understand that my body needs a second chance, why not a third and fourth opportunity? Especially when things were not within my control.

January 1st, 2014 is the perfect day to take advantage of those favorable circumstances, start a new, take it slowly and carefully and reach out for emotional, financial and physical wellness once again to find balance.