Debora De Farias's Blog

“Some dreams tell us what we wish to believe. Some dreams tell us what we fear. Some dreams are of what we know though we may not know we know it. The rarest dream is the dream that tells us what we have not known.”
Ursula K. Le Guin

I started every chapter of the Historical Novel Standing Tall with a pertinent quotation. Since many of the readers really enjoyed those pearls, I decided that each month we could explore the topics involved in those chapters, starting with “Dreams”.

According to the American Sleep Association, “A dream can be explained as a succession of sensations, emotions, ideas, and images that occur involuntarily in a person’s mind during certain stages of sleep. It is not completely understood what the purpose and content of dreams are, but for centuries, they have certainly been the subject of religious and philosophical interest, a topic of scientific speculation for centuries.

There is no definitive evidence about what dreams consist of, but it is generally accepted that dreams represent a collection of thoughts, struggles, emotions, events, people, places and symbols that are relevant to the dreamer in some way.

Dreams are essentially stories we play out in our head overnight; they can follow a linear narrative or be abstract. Scientists estimate that we have roughly 3-6 dreams in one night and around 95% of these dreams are forgotten the following morning.

Dreams have fascinated people since the beginning of recorded history. Different cultures have described the meaning and the importance of dreams, though there is little scientific evidence that dreams have particular meanings attached to them. In ancient Egypt, for example, people with vivid dreams were considered to be blessed with special insights, with many of their dreams recorded on papyrus.

There are many theories of the function of dreams. They appear to assist in memory formation, integration, problem solving and consolidation of ideas both about ourselves and the world. Dreams also help with information processing, cognitive process and mood regulation. Dreams can help us store important memories and things we have learned, get rid of unimportant memories, and sort through complicated thoughts and feelings. Dreaming is a highly emotional thinking process but while scientists know a great deal about what happens physiologically when people dream, there is still much to be studied about what happens psychologically.

Dreams are a bizarre phenomenon. Nine times out of ten they consist of complete nonsense. However, inspiration can spark in the most unexpected places and sometimes a dream might give us a great idea. Several inventions, music, artworks and writings have been originated or inspired by dreams.

One neurobiological theory of dreaming is the Activation-Synthesis Hypothesis. Proposed by Harvard University psychiatrists, John Allan Hobson and Robert McCarley, the theory states that dreams do not mean anything. Instead, they are merely electrical brain impulses that pull random thoughts and imagery from our memories. The theory suggests that humans construct dream stories after they wake up, as a natural attempt to make sense of it all.

However, renowned psychologist Sigmund Freud thought otherwise. He believed that dreams revealed unconsciously repressed conflicts or wishes. According to Freud, dreams are imagery of a wish or impulse that has since been repressed. related to the unconscious mind. According to Freud, dreams reveal our repressed wishes.

Another theory is the Threat Simulation Theory, which describes dreams as a defense mechanism our brains put in place to prepare us for scary events. This allows us to face our fears in a safe simulation. If this theory is to be believed, it could be assumed that we dream more often when in a state of fear or anxiety.

While dreams may not tell the future, allow us to commune with the supernatural, or give us special insight into the depths of our unconscious, one thing seems to be a universal consensus: dream tell us something about our emotions. According to psychologist David Feldman, “because most of us occasionally get out of touch with how we’re feeling, this is a useful insight.” In his words, “if you are experiencing a stream of bad dreams, it might be worth checking in with yourself about how you’ve been feeling, and perhaps consider whether there is some action you could take to help improve your mood.”

Wishing us all, Big, Good, Delightful Dreams. And may (most of) them come true!!!

“You see things; and you say, ‘Why?' But I dream things that never were; and I say, ‘Why not?'”
– George Bernard Shaw

References:

Why Your Brain Needs to Dream | Greater Good (berkeley.edu)
Dreams: Why We Dream & How They Affect Sleep | Sleep Foundation
Dreams: Why We Dream, Nightmares, and Lucid Dreams (webmd.com)
Activation Synthesis Model of Dreaming (verywellmind.com)

Standing Tall

“Epidemics highlight the fault lines in our society. They reveal our weaknesses, but they also illuminate the profound kindness, generosity and cooperation we are capable of. We have a lot to learn from them.”
(Elizabeth Fenn, a Pulitizer Prize winning writer, scholar of epidemics and author)

After a year living through a pandemic, we can finally see the silver lining. As the summer approaches in the northern hemisphere, we are starting to experience a certain “normalcy”, at least in the United States.

During these past weeks, I found time to reflect on what we have learned, what we have accomplished, how much we have grown, individually and collectively. We cannot put in words the price we have paid, all the lives that were lost due to this viral havoc. Nevertheless, it is my hope that, in the future, when we look back, we will be able to see that, somehow, we ended up in a better place, compared to the era pre-Covid 19.

We will clearly see that a virus does not discriminate. It does not spare rich or poor; it does not care if we are white, yellow or black; it does not care about our sexual orientation, what political affiliation we belong to; it cares less if we believe in its existence, where it comes from. We will finally understand that blaming and pointing fingers can only backfire, while worldwide collaboration can actually make us move forward.

We will know how much time, family and the environment are precious. The invisible virus has forced us to be locked with our families, has forced us to be creative, innovative – from learning how to teach our children on their school affairs, to cook something different, to enjoy the simple things like a family dinner at home, a walk in the park. We will no longer take the little things for granted, because they are actually, the biggest, greatest things.

We will learn that self-care is not synonym of self-indulgence, because being good to ourselves sets an example to younger generations and for others too. Taking care of ourselves includes constantly balancing the fine equilibrium between working, learning a new skill, being physically active, relaxing and sleeping. We will finally understand that the mind, the body and the spirit need constantly equal attention and proper care for a fulfilled life.

We will be better prepared for the next disaster and be more appreciative towards first care responders, nurses, doctors, health care providers, teachers, social workers, psychologists, the cleaning crew, the story clerks, the waiters, the cookers, the shelf stockers…we will be more appreciative towards all those lives that so much contribute to our constant wellbeing.

We will be kinder, more patient, more united in our diversities.

We all know this is not the first epidemics and it will not be the last. Epidemics of the past established an array of altruism around the world. During the 1793 yellow fever epidemic, residents of Philadelphia selflessly stepped up to save their city. “With no formal crisis plan, Mayor Matthew Clarkson turned to volunteers collect clothing, food and monetary donations; to pitch a makeshift hospital; and to build a home for 191 children temporarily or permanently orphaned by the epidemic. Members of the Free African Society, an institution run by and for the city’s black population, were particularly altruistic, providing two-thirds of the hospital staff, transporting and burying the dead and performing numerous other medical tasks.” *

As I describe in my book, Standing Tall, in the middle of tragedies and loss, from the ashes, always a new hope rises. In 1885, in the middle of a cholera outbreak, Cecilia Grierson, the only woman ever admitted by that time to the Medical School in Argentina, devise a plan to teach other women how to take care of the sick patients, founding the first School of Nurses in Latin America.

Public health emergencies have inspired innovations in education and public health. Starting in 1910, Thomas Edison’s laboratory, which had invented one of the first motion picture devices in the 1890s, partnered with anti-tuberculosis activists to produce short films on TB prevention and transmission—some of the first educational movies. Screened in public places in rural areas, the TB movies were also the first films—of any type—that viewers had ever seen. The anti-tuberculosis crusade was also a model for later efforts to combat polio that relentlessly put that disease at the front of public agenda until an effective vaccination was developed and implemented, and set a standard for future public health campaigns.

The list of what we have learned from past health crisis is endless. As human beings, we have all faced a magnitude of fear of the unknown and we can be sympathetic with the initial responses, the frustration in front the lack of information and solutions. However, now we know better. We have learned from this. If we have not learned from it, shame on us.
Blessed and Healthy Summer to All!
Debora de Farias
___________________________________________
*How Epidemics of the Past Changed the Way Americans Lived | History | Smithsonian Magazine

Standing Tall

As the month of April ends, we still have some time to talk about Poetry.

National Poetry Month was introduced in 1996 by the Academy of American Poets as a way to increase awareness and appreciation of poetry in the United States. Why poetry is so important?

Maybe the answer goes back to the year 1989/ 1990. I remember clearly the line of the beloved actor Robin William, as Professor John Keating, in my favorite movie, The Dead Poets Society.

“We don't read and write poetry because it's cute. We read and write poetry because we are members of the human race. And the human race is filled with passion. And medicine, law, business, engineering, these are noble pursuits and necessary to sustain life. But poetry, beauty, romance, love, these are what we stay alive for. To quote from Whitman, "O me! O life!... of the questions of these recurring; of the endless trains of the faithless... of cities filled with the foolish; what good amid these, O me, O life?" Answer. That you are here - that life exists, and identity; that the powerful play goes on and you may contribute a verse. That the powerful play *goes on* and you may contribute a verse. What will your verse be?”

According to Alice Osborne, “Poetry teaches us how to live. Poetry is like the Windex on a grubby car window—it bares open the vulnerabilities of human beings so we can all relate to each other a little better. Poetry is a bridge, an immediate path to become better people and being the change in the world, allowing the creation of a world where things and people come together."
Poetry gives rhythm to silence, light to darkness, simplicity and complexity of meaning in just few lines. It is in poetry that we find the magic of metaphor, compactness of expression and the use of the five senses. In times of personal hardship or collective anxiety, words weaved in poems have the power to provide comfort, meaning and hope.

However, Poetry offers much more.

POETRY IS GOOD FOR DEVELOPING SKILLS.

POETRY HELPS IMPROVE IDEAS.

POETRY IS THERAPEUTIC FOR THE WRITER AND THE READERS.
Writers get in touch with sentiments they might not have known they had until it was down on paper; Reading poetry allows one to see into the soul of another person, see what is weighing on their minds and on their hearts, and can open doors to feelings that are sometimes suppressed until that door is opened. Reading poetry can shine a light on all those dark and hidden crevices of the heart and mind once thought permanently closed off to the world.

POETRY HELPS YOU UNDERSTAND PEOPLE AND YOURSELF. Miscommunication and misunderstandings lead to mass amounts of frustration. Reading and writing poetry actually give people the improved ability to understand others.

POETRY IS MUSIC.
For Lewis Carroll as well as many other poets, the sounds words make are just as important as the meanings they have. In truth, we do not speak poetry; we sing it, each in our own unique way.

POETRY HELPS US REMEMBER.
Before language was written down, Greeks and Egyptians used poetry for more than just enjoyment. Poems communicated philosophy, history, religion, and even science. Memorizing such poems gave the ancients a way to share their thoughts far and wide.

POETRY HELPS US FIND OUR INNER VOICE
We all have many ideas milling around in our heads, and a poem is the perfect place to let them run wild. There’s no right and wrong in the world of poetry, and the only truly important question we need ask when reading or writing a poem is “Does it sound good to me?”

POETRY IS EXPLORATION
Poetry provides windows into the thoughts and feelings of others, not just of today but also of the distant past. Throughout history, kings, queens, soldiers, and ordinary people have all written poetry. Reading these poems teaches us more than just what happened a long time ago; it teaches us how people back then felt and what they thought as they lived through historical events.

Remember to cultivate good reading habits by adding a little bit of poetry into your book list. Even kids could and must join this challenge. After all, every month is Poetry month!

“I also hope you are still reading poetry, like the good old times. Just because you once told me that poetry opens the doors to endless possibilities.” (An excerpt of Standing Tall, Chapter 5).

References:
• Vern Kousky. https://www.readbrightly.com/10-point...
• K M Barley https://www.writersdigest.com/whats-n...

Standing Tall

This month, The Washington Post celebrated Female Leaders with an excellent article that reminded us that it has been a tough year for women all over the world. “Millions have lost jobs. Others are contending with shuttered schools, an ever-increasing domestic workload and a to-do list that never ends.” We can easily add that women have experienced an increase in domestic violence, depression and isolation.

This Women’s History Month arrives one year into the pandemic. With that in mind, I would like to congratulate all of us, women, for the endurance, for going the extra mile, for keeping up with the smiles, for the hope and encouragement. Yes, it has been a tough year. Nevertheless, we should be proud that we made it. We are still making it. We are still STANDING TALL.

We must also remember and be grateful that, we could not be where we are now, without the support and encouragement of our partners, our family, our community, our great leaders. Nor without the perseverance of the women of the past, their struggles and victories. They absolutely paved the road, so we could walk today, with our heads up.

It has been a year since I finished writing the historical novel, Standing Tall. Just like many of us, I could never imagine that the book, its title and its several characters would be so timely valid nowadays. The parallels of what happened in the turn of the twenty-century and what we are living in this last year still amazes me. I was in awe when I learned and read about the life of Cecilia Grierson, the first woman who became a physician in Argentina in 1889. I remember reading about Marie Curie, the first woman to receive a Nobel Prize, in the year 1903. I smiled when I found there was a “Chopin in skirts”, a woman named Heloisa d’Herbil, who dared the society of that time by composing tangos. I was reflective when I read the biography of Camille Claudel, the great but not so well known French sculptress of the beginning of the twenty century. Currently, I am in joy, reading about the way a daughter of an immigrant became the first vice president of the United States.

Books… through them and with them, we can learn and be part of human history. We can celebrate the lives of so many that contributed and will continue to contribute to our growth, our piece of mind and spirits. Therefore, I want to congratulate all of us: readers, writers, leaders, mothers, daughters, spouses. Those who still have the time and stamina to pick a good book and read it, despite the toughness of this past year.

Congratulations to all of us, who have been one of the "firsts" out there. First one to make a decision, first one to stand up, first one to say, “Yes, I can”. Those beautiful souls, who have accomplished something positive, they surely will not be the last ones. May our accomplishments continue to inspire others and be the solid foundation for our children, the next generation that will come ahead of us. May we never forget the words of Marie Curie, “Life is not easy for any of us. But what of that? We must have perseverance and above all confidence in ourselves. We must believe that we are gifted for something and that this thing must be attained.”

Love and blessings to all,
Debora de Farias

Standing Tall

February is Black History month, an annual observance originating in the United States, as a way of remembering important people and events in the history of the African diaspora. Black History Month has been the subject of criticism from both African-American and people of other races. Some argue it is unfair to devote an entire month to a single people group. Others contend that we should celebrate Black history throughout the entire year. Despite the objections, some good can come from devoting a season to remembering a group of people who have made priceless deposits into the account of history.

Clearly, the African descendants played an undeniable and impressive role in the formation of the culture in the Americas. That would not be different in Argentina, including their influence in the origin of the Tango. The historical novel, Standing Tall, honors this collaboration, by bringing back to life Mr. Gabino Ezeiza.

Born in February 1858, in the neighborhood of San Telmo, Buenos Aires, to an ex-slave, Gabino Ezeiza first aspired to become a writer. While still in his teen, he worked on the editorial board of the black paper La Juventud. Nevertheless, as his formidable talents developed, he turned to guitar playing and his ability to connect spontaneous verses to earn a living. Drawing from a rich oral tradition of earlier payadores –a folk music tradition native to Argentina, Uruguay, Southern Brazil and south Paraguay as part of the gaucho culture and literature, Gabino attracted an impressive crowd by taking his improvisational virtuosity on the road. The payada, a duel like exchange in which singer-guitarists spontaneously compose formulaic refrains, has its origin in both, Spanish versification and African traditions of musical contests. In Argentina, it is considered “popular literature”, inextricably tied to the most symbolic of national figures: the gaucho of the pampas, roughly equivalent to the cowboys on the range.

Gabino Ezeiza poetry was quiet and unassuming. The topics were patriotism, romantic love, country scenes, with a sense of melancholy, as noticed in this translated poem, The Guitar.

This guitar I play
And with whom I have felt such harmony is linked to my life
By a secret union
Without my guitar I would not be able
To sing as I do now
With its accompaniment
My heart felt laments

What made Gabino Ezeiza work so popular was his skill to use the words; “he was able to communicate to the public through a persuasive idiom filled emotion.”

It is my hope that this brief article helps celebrates the lives of other group of people and their contributions as part of humankind. In the words of Maya Angelou, “for Africa to me... is more than a glamorous fact. It is a historical truth. No man can know where he is going unless he knows exactly where he has been and exactly how he arrived at his present place."

Standing Tall

According to the Oxford Dictionary, “Standing Tall” means: “Be proud and confident.” To behave in a brave, or unyielding manner, without retreating from confrontation, danger, or adversity. It implies that our spirits are strong, that we have not given up.

The idea of writing a book had been lurking for a very long time, but it started really to take form in the last three years. The literary theme originally was Love, but it definitely changed to a mixture of Love, Courage and Perseverance as the story developed.

From the beginning, I knew only very few things about the story: It would have a strong female protagonist. She would care for people, such as a healthcare provider, or would be a scientist, a researcher in the medical field. My mind was set on that, because as a dentist, I can identify with that field. In addition, it would be much easier to write about a subject that is familiar to me.

Her name would be Cecilia. I like the name and it was the name of my great-grandmother.

The story would be set in Buenos Aires. I love that city, I have been there three times and one of my stays was for thirty days. The architecture, the history and the culture of the capital of Argentina always fascinated me.

I knew I would be a happy camper by reading, learning and especially writing about the city that once was considered the Paris of South America.

Therefore, one day I finally decided to start writing. Cecilia was a physician, living in St. Petersburg, Florida. She was a faculty member at University of South Florida, she was successful, but she had those distraught dreams about a distant past. A past that partially happened in Buenos Aires.

That was as far as I got in my mind. I had no plot; I was already worried about setting the characters in the current time and location. I found extremely hard to create a fiction story line, keeping the set and the environment true for the readers. In addition, what would be the arc of the story? What would be new, unique about this book? When I asked myself those questions, what I was thinking was not unique or compelling at all. I needed to do something different, but I did not know what and where to start. I stopped, closed my notebook and partially forgot about it.

Until I started reading the novel The Air You Breath, by Frances de Pontes Peebles, which portraits a deep, complicated friendship between two very different women who grew up on a sugar-cane plantation in Northern Brazil, and their passion for music, samba.

The story is partially inspired by the lives of Carmen Miranda and the songwriter Chavela Vargas, tracing the history of Brazil from the 1930s to the 1950s as well as Hollywood’s prevailing attitudes toward foreign and female artists. The sensitive, poetic writing evokes Brazil’s rough beauty and the sensual lure of the music that shapes the protagonists lives. This is a gorgeous, immersive novel about a strong bond, and this book had a profound impact on me.

One morning, while driving to work, the idea suddenly stroke me: What if you write about the first female doctor in Argentina? I google voice “First female physician in Argentina” and that was when Cecilia Grierson showed up.

From that point on, I had a complete story, in a perfect time – the turn of the twenty century, in a perfect location, Buenos Aires. I could not believe how things aligned perfectly. There were few good references about Dr. Grierson’s life. She was a strong woman, an advocator for women and children’s right. She was an art lover, a freethinker, very outspoken. A daughter of Scottish and Irish immigrants, Cecilia fought with persistence for her rights to attend Medical School and practice medicine, while founded the School of Nurses in Argentina and organized the association of that profession. She was not only a physician, but a teacher and a leader. She was the perfect inspiration for my book, and yet, there was little revealed about her personal life, her victories and struggles. To me, she was an unknown heroine, calling me to be “discovered”.

A friend of mine in California said that sometimes, the story and characters find you when you least expect. And that is in a nutshell how this exciting new book just happened. Cheers to a New Year, Cheers to a New Book. Cheers to a New You and Me!!!Standing TallStanding Tall