During the month of March, I finished two books and saw nine movies, six of them for the first time. I have been downsizing my possessions. It has always been hard for me to let go of things, but it gets a bit easier every day.

Personal

Towards the last days of February, I was looking at my closet when I realized that realistically I always wear the same 10 or 15 garments (I wash them, don't worry) and that the rest was just sitting there, taking up space. It was clutter. Similarly, other objects in my room have completed their cycle, and I am ready to make space for new things and experiences. The fewer things I own, the lighter I become, the more free I feel. Think of a monastic cell, present in different religious communities, or Van Gogh's Bedroom in Arles. Not very many possessions, just the essentials. Now think of the way consumerism is ravaging our planet, the money spent on ads so you buy something you don't need, just to momentarily make you happy. It might be hard to realize, and it took me a while to understand, but what really matters in life cannot be owned. Your dreams, your memories, your studies, your relationships with others and with yourself, you carry them with you wherever you go. Similarly, it is key to recognize that the beauty of life can be found everywhere, think of the 'small pleasures in life'. One could even say that the sacred is at conflict with owning more than what we need: materialism is the death of the spirit.

I also realized that a good percentage of the things I owned were items I did not use regularly but instead had bought thinking I would use them in the future. They were not a reflection of who I currently am but instead a reflection of who I wish I was. It is important to make this distinction so we don't hoard things belonging to the past or the future. One thing that has really helped me during this process is the 20/20/20 rule, which states that if you have not used an item in the past 20 months and it can be replaced in 20 minutes for less than 20 dollars, it can be decluttered. One should also keep in mind that it is important not to be wasteful; it's not about throwing everything away just for the sake of getting rid of it. If an item is in good condition, it could be donated or sold so someone else can enjoy it.

Books

The two books I finished in March were Temporada de Huracanes by Fernanda Melchor and Assata: An Autobiography by Assata Shakur. One thing I found, interestingly, that both books have in common is that the narration is nonlinear; it jumps in time with each new chapter, and in the case of Temporada de Huracanes, the narrator switches too. Some chapters in Temporada de Huracanes reminded me of that saying, "it's like a car crash, you can't look away" due to the gruesome events that are being related. But the book is written in a way that a paragraph is an entire chapter, so it totally overtakes your attention and you can't stop reading until the chapter is done. I found this very fitting since the book is written using a very colloquial language relating the events in a rural community, so it feels like someone is telling it to you, word of mouth. I will definitely read more of Melchor's work in the future.

Music

For March, I want to share with you this cover of "Águas de Março" by Antônio Carlos Jobim. Although it didn't rain (I think at all) here during March, this performance by Mei Semones & John Roseboro is very much worth sharing.

Movies

During March I revisited the 2001 film 'Y Tu Mamá También' by Alfonso Cuarón, dare I say one of the best Mexican movies ever made. Every time I see it, I catch something new that is either beautiful, technically outstanding, or both. This time I thought it was remarkable how Cuarón and Lubezki use long takes to let the film breathe, to make you feel like you're a witness in the story. The dance scene and the scene where they arrive at the beach are the first that come to mind.

Closing thoughts

During March I found myself struggling more and more with the idea that this is the world I have to live in, or to put it another way, I am conflicted with the fact that the people making decisions at this time seem to have values totally opposite to mine. I try to remind myself that everything that is made by people can also be changed by people. Nothing is permanent, and things can change very quickly. My imagination simply does not allow me to conform to the current state of the world. I want so desperately to see a different world, but when I look outside, I feel like it is better to start from within, at least for now.