October 23, 2022 Soft Launch of My Mother’s Mirror in San Diego, California
CALIFORNIA—The generational story of My Mother’s Mirror reconciles roots with personal experience to shape identity and aspirations. The writing of it in two perspectives—mine and my mom’s—was an experience of a lifetime. It was as if I could see myself clearly in her reflection, feel her feelings, and connect to the amazing woman who I call my best friend; the woman who brought me into this world, the person who has molded me, the person who has made me both her master and masterpiece.
My Mother’s Mirror became my poetic sanctuary to bestow my fears, feelings, thoughts, emotions, and epiphanies– pages of words, sentences, paragraphs, and pages that personify who I’ve become and who I’m becoming. Its craft grounds me in vulnerability and humility, meanwhile, affirming pride in my identity: in my roots, my experiences, my values, my principles, and in my family.
We all have mothers; and we were all once children. The way in which we interact with our family history differs, whether it be through tradition, art, religion, recipes. To me, my family history has provided me the platform to introspect, just as my mom did when she was twenty-three. Writing my story in the frame of my mother’s has rendered me proud of every obstacle I’ve encountered: just as she does, I am driven to transform every obstacle into an opportunity. I look up to her as the bulwark for my dignity, a patron of my success, and further, an unrelenting voice for others.
Authoring a collection of stories with paradigm shifts has opened me up to myself, to always dig deeper into self-knowledge. It has restored the void I had long-time felt through my teenage years and driven me to philosophize everywhere—first within, then with others, then about the world, and to come back to myself. My Mother’s Mirror was my means of philosophizing– now turned to some work of philosophy– stands a guide to help each and every one of you feel united with the reflection you see of yourself. When you pass by window sills, store fronts, and peer into the mirror you stand in front of every morning, I want you to smile back at yourself no matter how shattered life outside may seem. I want you to feel at home with yourself.
18th century poet Novalis says that “philosophy is really homesickness; the urge to be at home everywhere.” We all have pasts, experiences that we grapple with, and anxieties— some of which loom over us like shadows as we trek through life. But these shadows should provide opportunities for light, inviting others to reflect with you just as I did with my mother. Exposing ourselves in dark moments can be a means of discovering pearls of purpose, wisdom, and strength within. I hope that My Mother’s Mirror allows you to see yourself in the reflection of a pearl that must be treated with utmost care, compassion, and most importantly, agency. Remember, you’re the project you can never give up on.
“Life must not be a novel that is given to us,” Novalis says, “but one that is created by us.” My mom and I intend to inspire you to author a destiny of your dreams regardless of the obstacles that stand in your way. We should be using the pearls we all possess to crown our actions with confidence and to feel at home in our own skin.
My heart today is bigger than ever, and if you need anything, or have any questions, please don’t hesitate to reach out. I am an open book after all 🙂