Tears are Salty

[Gianina Horton]

Gia: Tears are salty.

Nina: Especially when there are many.

Gia: Elaborate?

Nina: Three words: Fast for Darfur

Gia: Good or bad?

Nina: Bad.

Gia: About Darfur, Sudan?

Nina: No. About lack of being heard by those participating in the fast.

Gia: Dang.

Nina: I know.

Gia: Last year doing the fast?

Nina: yup

Gia: And it sucked?

Nina: Yup

Gia: Sorry

Nina: No worries. What's done is done. Time to move on.

The end

[Michael Donahue]

I wonder if people reading this, who do not know you, know you are having a conversation with yourself? I imagine that would not matter for you, yet I have a sense of you from our times together and this is a very striking conversation even if simple. I can almost see you looking at your mirror at home, which may even be healthy.

I sense the disapointment and sadness, even if one of you claims, no worries and as much of it seems related to this being your final year at DCIS.

Yet the fast was for a region of the world, Darfur, in a country called Sudan, and your upset is around your perception of not being "heard" by the participants. (Ironically this is the sentiment of many people who live in the Darfur region as well as the people that support them.) It seems you suffer from the experience we would call "respect." Respect has been such a mystery, and a dangerous word. Experiential in it's reception, and often a glaze over the moment by previous experiences. Two components, it seems to have: Listening and Voice and you experienced neither. Not a wonder you are left upset and sad. Can both Nina and Gia shift the lens of looking(perspective) to one that binds both narrators?

You are a wonderful young lady, who brings passion and commitment to the marginalized societies of our world, including your own. Keep playing. . .you will have a thousand disapointments and make hundreds of mistakes, but you will certainly live a life worth living.

BE BOLD