A Whacky Saturday

She woke up at 5:30 am due to a stuffed nose and a sore throat. Since she was up already, she put some cheese bread in the oven to bake and set the alarm for an hour later; just in time for breakfast.

It was Saturday, however, due to her medical condition she had to take some medication quite early. As she looked out the window, she didn’t notice a slight ray of the sun and she knew that it would not be a sunny day. She wasn’t sad about that though, for the way she was feeling, she knew she’d be spending her day in bed. So off she went back to bed.

She quickly fell asleep and her dreams were a bit wild. She woke up to the alarm clock and luckily remembered that she was baking bread. Her nose was stuffed and the delicious smell of the cheese was probably noticeable to the neighbors but not to her.

She made coffee, stuffed the cheese bread with some cream cheese, ate her breakfast while she checked what was going on on all her social networks. Having finished this, she then took her drugs, as she called them. She knew that she had caught this cold or flu (she could never tell the difference) due to her lack of care during vacation. But now, vacation had ended and she needed to regain her strength and shake off whatever she had. Breakfast was yummy and the networks were slow, so she turned on the TV and watched some sitcoms.

They weren’t funny enough though, for in no time she fell asleep again. The dreams this time were so real and in color. She had heard somewhere that normal people dream in black and white and in color when they are under medication, so that would explain all the techno color vision she was having this morning, therefore, making her abnormal. Suddenly she was awakened by the neighbor arriving home. He had the habit of banging the door to his apartment when leaving and arriving.

She was drenched so she decided to try to shake this awful feeling off in the shower. It was lunch time. She kept repeating in her mind: starve a cold and feed a fever. But again she needed to take some more medication so she could not starve a cold, besides she didn’t know whether she had a fever,so she had to make some lunch. Despite the fact that she didn’t feel a bit hungry, she ended up making some delicious chicken and potatoes.

She ate, washed up and then sat on her bed and decided to read a bit. She set the TV to a music channel because the house was awfully quiet. Reading and New Age music is a perfect combination on a rainy day and of course led to her falling asleep once again. She kind of knew that that would happen because the book she picked up to read wasn’t one that she was appreciating, but one of those that she had to read. Her book club deadline was getting closer and she had been forcing herself to read as much as she could, unfortunately only ten pages before her eyes closed and the colorful action packed dreams started again.

When she woke up, it was already 6:30 pm, the day had gone by. She sat in bed a while and wondered if the people in her dream had also had the same dream because it seemed so realistic. If she had the courage, she would give them a call and ask, but then again why reinforce the idea that she was going crazy. After another shower, it was time to prepare dinner.

She managed to watch some TV shows, check some emails, call her family up and do some writing.

In the past she probably would have tortured herself saying that this had been a wasted day. However, she knew from experience how important it is to respect your body and health and specifically on this rainy Saturday her body wanted and needed to sleep. So she did just that.

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(Written January 26, 2013)

copyright ©2013 - Todos os direitos reservados a Meire Marion.

Money = Happiness?

According to a friend of mine, there cannot be happiness without money. He states that he is not a hypocrite to say that he can be happy without money and in his opinion spending money without having to worry about it is freedom.

I can understand where he is coming from, for he comes from a wealthy family. However, he does not have a family of his own, let alone a wife or girlfriend for that matter and he also has very few friends because no one can really keep up with his life style. I respect his opinion, but I question how happy someone can be with money and no one real close to share it with.

He is not alone in his opinion. I was at a café the other day and eavesdropping into the conversation at the table next to mine. Actually, it is something that I often do while sipping a freshly brewed cup of coffee. Perhaps to some, my action is wrong, but then again it is not something you can just turn off. Anyhow there were three men, I’d say in the late 50’s, drinking coffee and chatting about money. They were talking about money and happiness.

One of them mentioned that when he was younger he had a lot of money, traveled all the time, went out with different women, ate at the finest restaurants, bought whatever he wanted without having to worry about his bank account, however, he had no friends, no family and felt awfully lonely. Due to some mistakes in his life, which he did not mention, he lost all his money and had to start all over again. I figure his business foreclosed. He said that these days he felt happy although he had no money, well, not that he had no money, he just had to keep tabs on his income. He mentioned that he did, however, have a wife and two small children now whom he loved besides their being supportive and fun to be with. Nonetheless, he also mentioned that he did miss having all that money, but in all, he seemed to be more fulfilled in life now and the loneliness had gone despite wanting to provide more trips and things for his family that can only be bought with money.

The other two men said that he was crazy and that they would rather be able to travel, enjoy life and not have to worry about paying bills instead of living the lives they were living. They solemnly believed that their problems would disappear if they were wealthy.

Unlike the first man, these two never had tons of money. It made me think about the two different statements. The first man had been in both situations and he knew what it was like to live with a lot of money and alone versus having less money but a lovely family. Therefore, in my opinion, his thoughts should be taken into consideration. Clearly he is happier nowadays. After all you can’t have the best of the two worlds.

The other two men, on the other hand, live in a fantasy world of how happier or better their lives would be if they had tons of money. Taking this into consideration, it is clear to see that these two gentlemen are not enjoying their lives to the fullest, worrying about what to buy or not or instead of taking advantage of what they have, they are just wishing and living in frustration which brings sadness.

People nowadays tend to link happiness to consuming. They are happy when they buy a new car, a new technological gadget, a new pair of shoes, a piece of chocolate cake etc. It seems like we have forgotten what makes us truly happy. However, thank God, there are those, like me, who are happy when they listen to a kind word, witness an act of kindness, watch the sun set or rise, talk with a dear friend, make a new friend, receive a lick from their pet, are smiled at, listen to some one play a musical instrument on a street corner, all of which has nothing to do with money. So, ok, we do need money to survive but just because you do not fall into the category of being a millionaire does not mean that you cannot be happy.

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(Written January 24, 2013)
copyright ©2013 - Todos os direitos reservados a Meire Marion.

Why Burst Someone’s Bubble????

How many times have you heard people tell you that your dreams are farfetched? That you will never be able to make them come true? Many, I bet. Have you ever tried asking these people what is biting them? How do they know? And if they have crystal balls in their closets? These people who are too weak to follow their dreams will always discourage you to follow yours. They are always ready to burst your bubble.

Those people who do not give into such comments should be applauded, for instance, the Korean singer Psy.  This singer had tried for many years to make it big in the music industry before finally making a worldwide hit. He did this without any big company’s help and making his dream come true. Many doors were shut in his face, but did he give up? Nope.

What about J. K. Rowling the author of the Harry Potter novels? The first book was submitted to twelve publishing houses, all of which rejected the manuscript, before being published. Look at what a success that was. Did she stop believing in herself? Nope.

These two people would not have realized their dreams if they had given into the rejections that they were getting. Your dreams will only come true if you work at them and believe in them. It might not be easy or it might, you will only know if you try. It may sound like a bunch of clichés that you have heard over and over again while growing up. Nonetheless, they are true. Grandma always used to say : If a door closes, a window is sure to open.

One important thing to remember is to never give up your dream just because of the time it will take to accomplish it. The time will pass anyway. It always does. So, don’t stop dreaming and keep those bubbles intact. Believe and it will happen.

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(Written January 21, 2013)
copyright ©2013 - Todos os direitos reservados a Meire Marion.

I’m All Ears or Am I?

Nowadays people run around like madmen to get their tasks done. Rarely do people just sit around doing nothing and when they do, they feel guilty about it. People do not even have time to listen to other people. Take our greeting: How are you? We are satisfied with a fine or ok yet if there is a pretty good, we get butterflies because it means that there is a problem and the person wants to talk about it, but we don’t really care, do we? We have too much to do and no time to listen. So when we ask how the person is we kind of pray that they will answer “Fine, just fine.”

In fact the simple act of listening is an ability that is getting harder and harder to do well. There are people that look at you in the eye while you are talking but they are actually eavesdropping in on the conversation going on around them. Not to mention that you sometimes haven’t even finished a sentence and the supposed listener is already giving you an opinion. This is the point where lots of confusion and misunderstanding takes place.

There are others that pretend that they are listening. They sit there look you in the eyes even nod once in a while to let you know that they are keeping up with the story that is being told. However, all of a sudden they say something that has nothing to do with what was being told. This person was elsewhere, somewhere in their minds, perhaps even thinking about the next task that they have to do.

Nowadays we even have smart phones to help a person not listen. While a person is talking, the other one is looking down and checking their smart phones and they even have the audacity to say: go ahead I’m listening.

Perhaps listening skills should be taught in school.  With the way people behave nowadays, many would flunk the course. It may sound like a weird idea, however, listening skills are taught in foreign language courses. It could be adapted to regular every day listening.

The lessons that would be taught over and over again are simple:

•     Look at the person talking (keep eye contact).
•     Listen and do not interrupt or move around (let yourself finish listening before you begin to     speak).
•     Nod or say yes to show that you understand (this also includes smiling, laughing etc.)
•      Ask a question to find out more (optional) or to check if you have understood.
•     Repeat what you have heard in your own words briefly (it helps the speaker know how much of what was said you have grasped).
•      Respect what the person is saying even if you don’t agree with it.

There are many benefits in being a good listener. Mainly it improves social skills. As Rachel Naomi Remen stated “The most basic and powerful way to connect to another person is to listen.  Just listen.  Perhaps the most important thing we ever give each other is our attention.”

Give it a try. Perhaps the world will change for the better, at least a little bit.

( Rachel Naomi Remen  http://www.rachelremen.com/)

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(Written January 16, 2013)

copyright ©2013 - Todos os direitos reservados a Meire Marion.

Losses

During our lives we tend to lose things and people. We lose our jobs, our health, our money, a loved one, a dear one, our patience, our minds, a limb or two, the will to do something, our appetites and our feelings. Everyone suffers when there are common losses, but what about those which are not so common. For instance, when a person has a disease and is unable to feel the need to go to the bathroom; to urinate. It may sound peculiar, yet there are people walking around this planet that have lost this feeling. They have to time themselves as to when they should pee. We only realize this when it happens to us or someone we know.

The loss of a loved one is something that we cannot really grasp. All we know for sure is that one day everybody will die. The pain is strong and we miss the person on a daily basis, however, all we can really do is try to accept the fact and pray. Hence, when a loved one leaves us for someone else, this pain is greater. We can run into that person, but we can’t run away from our feelings towards the person. There are times when death is wished for in this situation.

The loss of materialistic things is not such a bad feeling or sensation for some people. Losing homes and everything in it when hit by a natural disaster or even a fire hits some people hard, however, in a couple of months they have bought everything all over again. In this case, there is still some control over that situation. Yet, when we lose the function of a limb, we have no control as to when it will come back to life.

A leg that stops working weighs a ton. It is an overwhelming feeling of failure. We stare at our leg; try hard to send a brain signal to the dead limb to make it move, but nothing. We have lost control over our own body. Nonetheless, we go on and slowly with a lot of dedication and physical exercises it starts moving and we know that eventually it will go back to its normal state or near normal state. When we lose the whole limb in an amputation, people say that we can still feel the limb as if it were still attached to our body.

How about the bladder? How can you make that feeling come back? What kind of exercise can be done to regain the sensation of needing to urinate? There is no exercise. There are no medical records available to help the doctors figure out what the problem is. There is only our mind to help us remember that we have to go otherwise we will end up with infections and then again, we are doomed for we do not feel that discomfort either, so eventually it can lead to more dangerous situations.

Not all is lost. Through these losses we learn to be stronger and to appreciate life more. Isn't that what we are here for; to learn and develop spiritually?

Life is filled with losses but then again it is also filled with wins. Even though we may not understand what is happening or even why, the Almighty is taking care of every moment and there is always the following day.

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(Written January 14, 2013)
copyright ©2013 - Todos os direitos reservados a Meire Marion.

The Elderly Man in the Beige Suit (final part?)

(Before reading this post, read parts 1 & 2 of The Elderly Man in the Beige Suit written in 2012)

The Man in the Beige Suit (final part?)

The last time that I saw the Man in the Beige Suit was on June 20, 2012 while I was driving home from my physiotherapy session.

I have driven around the neighborhood since then at different hours but have not seen him. It makes me wonder whether or not he is still alive.

 As I have mentioned in other posts, he is pretty advanced in his age. It saddens me though because part of my plans was to meet him personally and ask him about his life.

I was thrilled the last time I saw him, to know that he had found a furry friend. According to reports, having a pet is supposed to help you live longer. You need to walk your dog so you exercise more. You play with your dog so you tend to laugh more and you let out the child in you as well as free your mind from worry during that moment. You don’t feel as lonely; you can cuddle with your dog. You lose the fear of talking to people on the streets while you are walking your dog. Dogs are very attuned to humans' moods, which makes them a good gauge of what we're feeling. All these health benefits came to mind when I saw him with his furry friend and was a bit relieved to see that he was accompanied.

Anyhow, I will not give up. I will continue to see if I run into him. You can be sure that I’ll let you know.

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(Written January 10, 2013)

copyright ©2013 - Todos os direitos reservados a Meire Marion.

How to Make Money

Living these days in Brazil has not been so easy, especially for a person who has had his workload reduced because of an illness. Because of medical expenses, the economy earned throughout the years went down the drain like water. However, one can learn how to make money in this situation.

Take going to the movies for instance. It costs around between 15 and 30 reais depending on the time and whether it is 3D or not. The suggestion is to go to the first session which is usually the cheapest and the emptiest. If you have some kind of discount, don’t be ashamed to use it. You have won that privilege and the right, so go ahead. That way you can watch two movies for the price of one.

If you need to take some kind of medication for the rest of your life, try and see if you can get it through the government. In Brazil there is a vast list. Look for it on line and go to the governmental doctor’s office and enlist. If the medication you take is not on the list, call the laboratory that makes it and become a member. It’s free and they send you a card that can be used at any drugstore; sometimes the discount is between 20 to 30% off and that makes a big difference in the long run.

Get a bonus card at the supermarket that you like to shop at. That way every time you spend money, you add up points. These points will come back to you in discounts or prizes.

Same thing goes for bookstores. Of course the best thing is to get a library card. However, libraries in Brazil sometimes do not carry the books you want to read and in the language you want to read it in. Bookstores add up bonuses which eventually can be used in a future purchase.

A big waste of money is on food. Eating out is very good for a number of reasons; you don’t have to do the cooking, you don’t have to clean up, there are no leftovers. However, there are many disadvantages to this habit. Food poisoning, you really do not know how the food is being prepared. Not to mention how much money you spend on a meal. By cooking at home you tend to save money, because the amount you spend on a meal out, you can use at the supermarket for a week-load of groceries. You also need to be creative in the kitchen; otherwise you end up throwing away the leftovers. Recycling leftovers is a good way of saving money too and not getting bored with eating the same dish for a number of days. You can find recipes on line.

When going shopping always ask yourself the three questions: do I need this now? Can I live without it? Can I afford it? If your answer to any of these questions is no, just put it back on the shelf. Sometimes we buy stuff and we end up just keeping it in the closet and never using it.

It is a good thing to clean out closets from time to time. When you clean them you end up seeing what you have and give away what you haven’t used or worn in the past six months or year. If you haven’t worn it during that period of time, chances are you never will.  You can even sell the stuff to second hand stores if you want to make some change. But by donating, as if by magic, you always end up with other stuff.

Perhaps the most important thing a person can do it change their way of thinking. Stop thinking that you don’t have the money for something, just think that you are making money instead of wasting it. Whenever you don’t purchase something, think that you have saved that amount that you were thinking of spending. In the end, the numbers will add up and you can spend it on something that brings you pleasure.

These are just a few actions that can be done to help you stretch out your money.

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(Written January 9, 2013)

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Melting

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(playing with words and thoughts… )

Melting

The sweat pours down my face.

It tingles as it continues on its pace.

Outside it is 30 degrees C.

Inside I wish it were minus three.

It will get hotter as the week goes by.

I read the weather report and sigh.

It could be worse some people say.

In my mind I say no way.

In the northern hemisphere it is cold.

Not to mention all the snow.

I am caught between two worlds:

The North and the South;

The heat and the cold.

Where do I want to be?

Who knows?

(Written January 9, 2013) 

I AM COOKIE

I am 9 years and 11 months old; in human years that would be 56 years and 7 months old. As you can see I am pretty mature. I will be turning 10 on February 20; calculating in human years 57 (some calculators say 60, but let’s not push it).  In Brazil they say I have 7 lives, but in the US I have nine. I was born in Brazil therefore I’ll stick with the number 7 and not push my luck.

My owner is an English Teacher who likes to read, travel, listen to music, paint and write. She also likes to have people over and that stresses me out sometimes. She has named me Cookie. Since I only really hear the last vowel sound, I also answer to Sushi, Honey and Baby. She doesn’t like routines, although she does have some, so she varies in my name calling. People say that she owns me, but I am the one who rules at home. Let’s say that she is the one who lives with me.

We have been together since I was 3 months old, the size of a CD cover. She loves taking pictures so she has a rich register of pictures of me from that time on. I don’t mind being photographed, in fact, I only mind when she uses that strong flash. It’s really blinds me for a while.

Photo by Meire Marion Jan.11, 2013 - Cookie waiting for breakfast on top of washing machine 

She takes good care of me although I realize that I am a bit of a bother especially because I wake her up every morning at 4am for her to fill my food bowl. Since I sleep most of the day, I roam around the apartment and outside on the veranda  and end up eating all my food. All I have to do is scratch one of the many doors and up she goes stumbling in the dark to the kitchen to feed me. After eating, I go over to her bed and find a warm spot near her feet. They are nice and soft and I like to use them as pillows. She doesn’t mind. When I was a kitten, I used to sleep near her head or her back, but now I have grown to be quite big. There have been times though where she has kicked me off the bed. I choose to believe that it was by mistake and she has also rolled over on top of me; a little growl always did the trick.

Photo by Meire Marion January 11, 2013 - Cookie in the morning

Whenever she goes away on a trip, I try to go along and am the first to hop into her suitcase. But it never works. For long trips she usually takes me over to her parents house, which to me feels like Disneyland because it is so huge, so much to explore and enjoy. Besides her mother feeds me a lot and no one touches me because they think I am antisocial.

Whenever she goes on a short trip like three days to five, her friend comes over to feed me. I am getting used to this, but her friend walks around on crutches and that really freaks me out. The noise the crutches make is very intense to my sensitive ears.  This has only been this way over a year or so.

One time in 2011, my owner was taken away by two men and she only came back after seven days. During those seven days I was fed by her father who would come over every day just before midday pour food in my dish, clean my water bowl, clean out my sand box and run a little shower water in the shower box. I just love drinking water out of the shower box. I love getting my paws wet and then walking around the house for them to dry. When my owner came home, I was so excited that I would walk around meowing so loud that I am sure the neighbors heard. I meowed because I was happy that she was home and sad because she couldn’t walk properly. She had this medal gadget to help her walk and I had to be careful whenever I tried to walk close by to her. She was also so slow in moving about and you could feel that she was in a lot of pain.

The good thing though is that although she still feels the pain, she can fool everyone else but not me, she can move around a bit faster and doesn’t need the walker or the cane to walk anymore. She might stumble and lose her balance sometimes, but she laughs about it and goes on. I guess my hissing at those metal things did the trick.

As I have already mentioned, she loves having people over, mainly for a meal. She usually has family and friends. During these get-togethers I tend to hang out in the office where it is dark and off limits to the guests; to all the guests but one, a little three-year-old boy. His name is Joao Arthur and I am very jealous of him. I watch him closely and my hissing does scare him to some extent, but since it doesn’t scare my owner when I hiss at him, she scolds me. I am jealous of him because he’s always kissing and hugging her. He likes me a lot too. He’s not that bad. The only problem is that he talks too loud and always wants to grab my tail. I do not like anyone grabbing my tail.

I remember that when I was around 4 months old, she had a friend who would come over to visit and she would pull my forehead over my eyes. I couldn’t do anything about it. However, now when that person comes to visit, I keep my distance. People think cats do not have good memories, well that is just not true. I am sure that you would remember this kind of torture too.

Not all the people who come over I hide from. There is one guy who comes over every fifteen days to learn English. He is pretty cool. I walk by him; sometimes I let him pet me. He likes pets, I can tell from the vibes he lets out. Also, I have heard him and my owner chat about his dog. I do not know what a dog is for I have never seen one, but based on his energy, his dog must be nice. Maybe I’ll meet him one day.

So that is a bit of me. My name is Cookie and I am a happy almost 10-year-old Persian Cat.

Photo by Meire Marion taken January 6, 2013 - Cookie

( Written January 7, 2013)

An Unexplainable Day

What to do when you wake up with a feeling like something is missing? It’s not every day that this happens but then there is that one day when you open your eyes and there is that feeling of emptiness. You really don’t think that emptiness is the correct word. Even the words escape you. Despite the feeling you get up, take a shower, have your breakfast, check your emails, social network, watch the morning news and then wait for the hour to strike for your first commitment of the day. So, off you go.

Your appointment is at the manicurist and there you meet up with the same people just like every other Friday. The eighty-three year old woman whose appointment is after yours arrives and shares her good news; she now has a boyfriend. The sounds of it distracts you from the shallowness inside, lots of interesting questions pop up in your mind. Who? What? When? How? She then starts to answer all those questions without your having to ask her. He’s a friend of a friend. He wants to get married but she doesn’t at this age “who needs to wash underwear” so she says. Then she tells you that no one matches up to her deceased second husband. The first one was a jerk, so she says, but the second one was a gentleman. However, the company to the movies and church is welcome. He likes to kiss and hug a lot, she adds.

After that enlightening talk you are off to lunch. So you go to that per - kilo restaurant that you usually go to and notice that the staff has changed. The business was passed on to another group and eventually the food is crummy and now you have to research and look for another place nearby so you can have lunch on Fridays, your day off. Still the feeling that woke up with you is around. Why doesn’t it just go away? After all now you have other things in mind.

You leave lunch like you could have eaten better, walk into your favorite clothing store to see if there are any after Christmas sales and you end up buying a navy blue dress. Do you need a new dress? Probably not, but it is set at such a good price and when you try it on it boosts up your self-esteem because you like they way you look in it.

Afterwards you run into a friend who offers to buy you a cup of coffee. What a kind gesture. Listening to other people, especially people you like, is a really good way to fill your heart up with other feelings. Depending on the stories they tell you, you feel anger, laugh, reflex and even shed some tears.

You leave the coffee shop feeling pleased for it was a pleasant conversation and it was nice to have someone pay you a rich cup of coffee even if you could not eat anything because you can only eat gluten-free stuff. You leave thinking that perhaps you should open a coffee shop that only serves gluten free cakes and pies.

With that in mind off you go to the supermarket; you go to a different one just for a change. It may not be the one with the best buys, but it is a larger one with a variety of goods and you can look around. You buy what you need and when you start filling your cart with goods that you do not really need at the moment, but the prices are good, you decide that it is time to leave. So, eventually you return some of the products and stick to the necessities. Good thing your brain is working.

Upon arriving home, you put everything away and decide to have another cup of coffee. You open up your laptop and try to write down what you feel and it is only 4pm; still a bunch of hours to go before bedtime.

In the end, it has not been so bad after all and that feeling of emptiness is still there but in the far corner of your heart somewhere going into hiding. If it were a sunny day, walking in the park would have solved the problem. However, keeping busy also seems to do the trick.

 

 

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(Written January 4, 2013)

 

The Price of a Life

How much does a life cost? Apparently to one specific restaurant owner in Guaruja Brazil( A beach city in São Paulo) , it costs $7,00 Reais ( around $3.50 dollars yes, three dollars and fifty cents).

A twenty-eight- year-old university student was stabbed to death after he complained at a restaurant that they were overcharging him and his friends for their dinner meal on the December 31^st. According to police, the victim was dining at the restaurant, which is in the Cove neighborhood, around 7:30 pm Monday, with a group of friends and girlfriend. The confusion started when he was paying the bill. According to the record of the police report, the student refused to pay the amount of $ 19.99 Reais, claiming that the amount disclosed in the doorway and also within the trade was $ 12.99 Reais.

The cashier called the manager of the restaurant and they began arguing. Then the owner of the restaurant, who is the manager's father, said he accepted the value of $ 12.99 Reais. But even according to police, the manager went on to threaten the young man, saying he would wait outside to fight. According to the record of the occurrence, the owner of the restaurant slapped the student in the face.

After that, the tourist called the Military Police still inside the restaurant and this time; he was attacked by waiters and manager with several punches. According to police, as he saw the fight, the owner of the restaurant went to the kitchen to get a knife and stabbed the student three times in the back. Rescue was called, but the victim died at the scene by the time they arrived.

All the people involved in the crime have fled the city and the knife was not found by the police.

So to this killer a person’s life is worth $ 7 Reais (three dollars and fifty cents). When I heard this on today’s news I was appalled. What is the matter with some people? Have they no love and compassion? So much greed and lack of love in this act. A life was taken because of money. A family was ruined. Hopes and dreams died along with this young man. Was it going to make a difference to the restaurant owner? It wasn’t three thousand, or three million dollars, it was simply three dollars and fifty cents. Not that if it were more it would make any difference to me, but then at least it would be more understandable but not justifiable. Mind you, it wouldn’t make any sense to me at all. The fact that people treasure money over another person’s life makes me sick to my stomach. The owner should have let the police arrive and settle the argument in a civilized way.

I was discussing this over coffee with a friend who happened to mention the victim could have just paid the $7 Reais and end of story. He could have made a scandal against the restaurant on the web or even local newspaper.

All these facts are true, however, how could he have imagined that he would have lost his life over a complaint, in which case he was right. How could he have imagined that he would not live to see 2013?

It seems like life is so unfair. Now the killers are free and the victim’s family and friends are grieving.

This world needs love. People have to stop giving money such a prioritized position in life. When we die, we do not take anything with us. I realize that we need money to survive in this world, however, it should be something that helps us and not something that kills us.

What do you think?

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(Written January 2, 2103)
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