Con Una Sonrisa
CON UNA SONRISA
BY Yareli Solis
I find it incredibly JOYOUS how a smile can bring so much. A simple smile from one human being to another. In person or online, because online can be a powerful tool to connect with others.
I often get told, “Yare, you’re always smiling.” And although that's not always the case—life has made me a wise muchachita through all of its hardships—my smile is a reminder. A reminder that not everything might be okay in the moment but eventually it will be. We continue moving forward because this life has so much to offer.
Doing what I love makes me feel alive, all while sharing that joy and sustaining myself through the little things. Singing my heart out to a good ranchera—I find myself playing songs on repeat and letting the feels through. Spending time, cotorreando con mis tias. Watching them despegarse de sus everyday routines through a shared meal, laughs, and stories. They remind me of what matters, and what it feels like to be so present in the moment.
Nature keeps me grounded; it pulls me in, takes the energy I don't need to carry anymore, and recharges me. It's so sacred and necessary to stay uplifted. In tough times, going on a hike is all I need. Observing a tree pulls me in, sometimes speaking to them, placing my palm onto them so they can take everything I need to let go. As someone who loves spending time in nature, I am so grateful to be from California.
Writing is a way to let it all out and to connect with others. We are more alike than you’d think. Encontrando pieces of art that portray my culture and represent me. Pieces that make me tear up y enchina la piel. Cooking and baking after a hard day at work because it’s something I love doing. My morning wake-up call: the birds chirping and the roosters crowing. Little things that remind me of México and of my dream life. Ooh, life is so silly. Nourishing my body with a good jugo de naranja, beet, y zanahoria hecho en casita. Allowing space for growth. Out with the old patterns, in with the new. And it's tough work, but it will be worth it—is what I tell myself often.
Owning that I am the author of my life. Wow, que chingona.
Representando a mis abuelitos, being the first woman in my lineage to do things differently. The power I carry, it's in my blood. Therapy. As a mental health community counselor, it's vital to do the damn work for yourself to feel better, and sometimes we have to be the teachers in our community. Visiting mi familia en México. I always come back feeling grounded by my family's wisdom and motivated by their hard work. Representando a mi México by carrying the hard work of artesanía pieces with me—you will always catch me with vibrant earrings.
“Representando a mis abuelitos, being the first woman in my lineage to do things differently. The power I carry, it’s in my blood.”
Practicing overfilling my cup first in order to support others, and that's on being the eldest hija. Reminiscing about the memories I had with those who are no longer here with me, and knowing that I now have angels looking over me. And as I share una sonrisa, this is my reminder of the things that keep my smile bright and present in this wild and precious life of mine. Sometimes all you can offer es una sonrisa, in hopes that we transmit our good energy and connect to continue moving forward.