Karinaland River

  Immigration On Friday morning of September 20, I am spending a couple of hours for my naturalization interview in the federal building  on 630 Sansome Street in San Francisco  that houses the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Then later at 1 pm, in the oath ceremony, I am reciting the Pledge of Allegiance. Standing, holding up my right hand like everyone else, repeating the words after our master of ceremonies, I am engulfed in a chorus of immigrants’ voices from all over the world. Out of maybe 80, only two are Caucasian. The man leading us through the 20 minutes ceremony, is most likely a judge, but without his robe. He is an elegant, kind, and personable elder. We can hear the genuineness in his voice, and we are genuine, too. As we pledge allegiance to this country, the English sentences might ring slightly different for each of us. In another minute we will be citizens of the United States. Something in me is expanding. I am swearing to be a responsible an...

  Calling by Name   In 2008, I envisioned, designed and then build in close collaboration with a professional carpenter a tiny casita (10’ x 12’) with deck in our backyard. “A room of my own” under the beloved oaks. With skylights and windows on all sides so it would feel like a tree house. To my surprise, the project took on a life of its own. A new world opened up, a new life on the hill started to emerge. At that time, the canopies of the old coastal live oaks with their sculpted massive branches were still very dense, bringing much shade and cool. The four live oaks were forming an impressive far-reaching grove, including a huge cork oak and a tall incense cedar. Then the following spring, I design another cottage (10’ x 10’) as my bedroom. The adventure keeps unfolding, an irrepressible vision propels me. Did I ever really plan on all of this that is now manifesting? It feel as if destiny is guiding me.   Now, at this point, the hill going further up has to be stabil...

  Quince Time   Three Queens   One of the most beautiful fruits of all, is the Quince. She is the Queen of Imperfection & Beauty all wrapped in the same package. This time of year, I contemplate Quince. Beauty requires a small amount of imperfection. Combined with the radiance of inner essence, it starts exuding the air of vulnerability, invisible. In this field of beauty and imperfection, the ingredient of vulnerability entices us into a clear state of mind. Freedom from preconceived ideas of perfect, sterile, steely beauty, we start to grasp the secret of what makes life, things and people beautiful. I practice these reflections daily as an important exercise to counter our contemporary insensitivity to true beauty, which touches us deeply. Moves and nourishes us, kicks us out of lazy preconceptions. So quickly we say “beautiful,” but do we really feel it, taste it? Does it really take our breath? For example, pears and bitter melons have the same power of deepening...