Gems in the Neighborhood
This is by far the cutest thing I have come across in my old neighborhood (aww memories) - and I have my childhood friend to thank for sharing this w/me! Southeast San Diego does not have the best reputation (hah beachy clean it is not!), but it has it’s charm. I don’t know who set this up, I don’t know whose books these are, but I love the idea of a Corner Library Free Book or Exchange! The books aren’t exactly literary masterpieces, but they are interesting and I am sure w/time, there will be some gems. My friend ended up leaving behind two mangas (Japanese comic books if you really don’t know) and I ended up taking a book called “They Called Them Greasers: Anglo Attitudes toward Mexicans in Texas, 1821-1900” by Arnoldo de Leon. Oh yeah, this one is certainly going to be interesting! Getting my history on!
Take a second and think about the one thing that promotes attraction the most. I’ll give you a hint. The answer is not physical looks, wealth, having things in common, or even the person’s personality. I know, it’s crazy right? The answer is actually proximity. Study after study finds that most people tend to become attracted to people who are physically close to them. The theory is called the mere exposure effect, and it states that we tend to become attracted to a novel stimuli if it was repeated over and over again. I am sure you once saw a very attractive person who caught your attention while passing by your car, then you never saw him/her again. Why do most people forget about that very attractive person a few days later? Simply because they never see that person again. If the stimuli wasn’t reinforced we tend to forget about it even if we liked it. It really is true. Just talking to someone a lot can do so much. You may not even see it coming. But If you spend a considerable amount of time with someone, you could be friends one day, and before you know it, you’ve completely fallen head over heals in love with each other. Maybe this has happened to you. You can’t fight it, but why would you want to? It’s a beautiful thing, really.
Our Dance Community
It started out as a conversation, but turned into something more. Lovelyn, Sean, Mika, Jerome and I reminisced on the dance community and its evolution.. and this is what we came up with. We joked about putting it on a shirt, or starting a Wikipedia page, haha.. but it was a lot of fun. Not every team is there, and it’s definitely not perfect - some if it could only be connected from what we’ve witnessed from afar.
But as we were writing this, it became a visual reminder of who I am in the community and where I came from. Despite any disagreements I may have with the direction it’s headed, I’m proud to be a part of this community and a part of its history.
And I’m blessed to say that I’ve literally watched most of this unfold, now in my tenth year. So many dancers have no idea where their roots are grounded.. and so many teachers, choreographers, and directors are failing to pay their respect to those who paved the way. We forget that so many people and teams before us made this possible. Fact: We would not be here without those people.
Know your roots. And when I say that, I actually mean go out and do your homework. Educate yourself and educate others. It’s a privilege to share our gifts with the world.. and our community literally impacts so many people across the globe. So take pride in who you are in this community and who helped you become who you are today.
