{"id":275,"date":"2025-07-13T13:49:54","date_gmt":"2025-07-13T13:49:54","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/omnivoicebox.com\/?p=275"},"modified":"2025-07-13T14:53:15","modified_gmt":"2025-07-13T14:53:15","slug":"a-reel-of-soul-living-with-not-for","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/omnivoicebox.com\/?p=275","title":{"rendered":"A Reel of Soul: Living with, not for.."},"content":{"rendered":"\n
\n

Shot on Super 8<\/strong>: \u201cThoughts in the now, heart stuck in 1813.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

It\u2019s never about the place \u2014 it\u2019s about you in it.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

Wow, this week I\u2019ve been musing about how I feel in this life: the tug-of-war between the present and that symbolic \u201c1813,\u201d <\/em>like my soul\u2019s out of sync, not out of place\u2026 like there\u2019s an old soul living inside me, from another time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n

But here\u2019s my secret for dealing with it:  The setting doesn\u2019t shape the experience.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

You<\/strong> do.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

My dears, the magic of this world isn\u2019t the world itself \u2014 it\u2019s how you<\/strong> see<\/strong> it, how you<\/strong> live<\/strong> in it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n

Don\u2019t you ever just tune out the world and get lost in your own head?<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

I think it\u2019s a question so many sensitive souls ask themselves quietly.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

Sometimes, wandering through my mind feels like an 8mm film reel:  <\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n

One Shot on Kodak \u201965 \u2014 soft grain, washed-out colors or dreamy black-and-white, with that voice-over whispering subtitles in pure noir style\u2026 <\/p>\n\n\n\n

but with a Caribbean twist that, while not your typical tropical paradise, gives it a vibe all its own.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Yeah, maybe it\u2019s just my vintage soul, cold as ice but with tropical undertones like the breeze…<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

And I think that\u2019s all of us \u2014 we just have to figure out who we<\/strong> are.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This week\u2019s new philosophy:<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n

Life is not happening to be..  <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Life is happening with.<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

\n

How empty is society these days?<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The real talk?  <\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

\n

Pretty damn empty \ud83d\ude2e\u200d\ud83d\udca8 <\/p>\n\n\n\n

But not without hope.  <\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

\n

People like us, who feel that void \u2014 we\u2019re the ones who can fill it with something different.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

So many folks today feel this emotional hollowness in the world. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n

Things move fast, feel transactional, and stay surface-level. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

There\u2019s this pressure to perform, to curate, to keep up \u2014 but not always room to feel<\/strong>, to connect<\/strong> real, or to just be<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When someone drops a caption \u2014 dreamy, nostalgic, poetic \u2014 it feels like a quiet rebellion against the noise.  <\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

\n

A soft resistance<\/strong>. A yearning for something real<\/strong>, intimate<\/strong>, timeless<\/strong>.  <\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Maybe even a nudge that the soul doesn\u2019t belong in a world obsessed with appearances and speed.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Gossip sesh:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Chatting with a Chilean friend, he asked if I care about what others think. That\u2019s a big question, you know.. He wasn\u2019t talking about being curious about other people\u2019s ideas but about how much their opinions of me affect me \ud83e\uddd0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n

I told him I care about the human<\/em><\/strong> side<\/em> \u2014 what someone thinks<\/strong> \u2014 but not<\/em><\/strong> as<\/em> judgment<\/em><\/strong>. I want dialogue that lifts you up, not clips your wings. <\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

I literally said, \u201cI love watching someone unfold their ideas, but I don\u2019t care how they judge me<\/em>.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

Personally, when I give an opinion, I try to make it a window<\/em><\/strong>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Why<\/em>? Pretty easy. ‘Cause that way, I\u2019m empathetic<\/em>, seeing what they see, while still walking with my own eyes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n

I don\u2019t like passing judgment or saying, \u201cThis is blue,\u201d and trying to sway someone\u2019s view. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

I don\u2019t want others to think through my<\/strong> mind..<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

I want my words \u2014 whether you hear me or read me \u2014 to be like literary architecture<\/strong><\/em>, each word a mirror<\/strong><\/em>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Not a dark mirror or one that just shows your reflection and calls it a day.. I mean a mirror where the light is just right to see yourself<\/strong> <\/em>clearly but also lets you look as far as your mind can take you.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And you\u2019re probably wondering, how far do I<\/strong> look? I look without horizons<\/strong>, without limits<\/strong>, because naming something puts a fence around it, stunting its growth.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n

Dear reader, I don’t create a blogpost “for<\/strong>” someone, but “with<\/strong>” someone.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I mean\u2014 I think of my writing as stepping into your own mind, like it\u2019s a house. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

\n

Maybe it\u2019s got cobwebs and dust<\/em>, maybe it\u2019s swept and tidy<\/em>, maybe it\u2019s got no windows<\/em>, or maybe you\u2019ve never even gone inside<\/em>, too caught up with what\u2019s outside<\/em>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

But my writing invites you to step in<\/em>, to read things you hadn\u2019t thought<\/em> of before, to expand<\/em>, to notice the couch could go by the window, and from there, you might start thinking about everything you see when you step outside<\/em> \u2014 like a meditation<\/em>, a self-exploration<\/em>.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

\n

My words carry layers:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cMaybe with cobwebs and dust\u201d <\/em>\u2192 <\/strong>there\u2019s neglect, but no judgment.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cMaybe without windows\u201d <\/em>\u2192<\/strong> the mind as a space yet to see.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cMaybe you\u2019ve never stepped inside\u201d <\/em>\u2192<\/strong> we live outward, in noise, in consumption.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Me?<\/strong> I just brought you a candle \ud83d\udd6f\ufe0f<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

I\u2019ve always said there\u2019s no absolute truth, and as Clarice Lispector<\/em> put it:  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI am not me. I am a space that others fill.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

But me?<\/em> I don\u2019t wait for others to fill my space<\/em>. I just open<\/em> it up<\/em> like a field without edges, a place where looking doesn\u2019t mean defining \u2014 it means setting free<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n

In fact, I told my friend I sometimes feel my purpose in life is a bit<\/em> like Socrates\u2019. He asked if I was serious or joking, and I laughed at my own confidence when I said, \u201cI am<\/strong>.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n

He got a bit confused, so I clarified, \u201cI\u2019m not Socrates<\/em> reincarnated. I mean I spark the same thing<\/em> he did <\/em>\u2014 I make people think<\/strong><\/em>.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

Dear reader, that\u2019s what naturally moves me.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n

Here\u2019s what I know, dear reader: if you\u2019re here, you\u2019re searching for something. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

My writing will shake you up if you\u2019re not ready to think about you<\/strong>.  <\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

Me? I\u2019m not above anyone. I just know myself and share the paths I\u2019ve walked, hoping you might start your own journey on one of them (:<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

This week\u2019s words are just to say: you\u2019re not alone.<\/em> This isn\u2019t a space where we\u2019ve already \u201cmade it<\/em>\u201d \u2014 it\u2019s a space to think<\/em> together<\/em><\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n

Even if my soul feels out of step with this era, that dissonance between my inner world and the outer one? It\u2019s real, but it\u2019s not a punishment. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

For me, it\u2019s a guide, a reminder that this is just one more journey.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

\n

And as my fun Chilean friend put it, ‘being aware has to tie to action<\/em>‘. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

His exact words? \u201cAction makes you free, even if you mess up<\/em>.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

\n

Like I\u2019ve said before, \u201cRegrets are a waste of time.<\/em><\/strong>\u201d  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

That\u2019s not<\/strong> freedom. That\u2019s trauma dressed up as tradition.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n

This reel of soul keeps turning. And every frame\u2014 every word\u2014 is a choice to live with<\/strong>, not for.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Bye now!\ud83d\udd6f\ufe0f<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Shot on Super 8: \u201cThoughts in the now, heart stuck in 1813. It\u2019s never about the place \u2014 it\u2019s about you in it.\u201d Wow, this week I\u2019ve been musing about how I feel in this life: the tug-of-war between the present and that symbolic \u201c1813,\u201d like my soul\u2019s out of sync, not out of place\u2026 like there\u2019s an old soul living inside me, from another time. But here\u2019s my secret for dealing with it:  The setting doesn\u2019t shape the experience.   You do. My dears, the magic of this world isn\u2019t the world itself \u2014 it\u2019s how you see it, how you live in it. Don\u2019t you ever just tune out the world and get lost in your own head? I think it\u2019s a question so many sensitive souls ask themselves quietly. Sometimes, wandering through my mind feels like an 8mm film reel:   One Shot on Kodak \u201965 \u2014 soft grain, washed-out colors or dreamy black-and-white, with that voice-over whispering subtitles in pure noir style\u2026  but with a Caribbean twist that, while not your typical tropical paradise, gives it a vibe all its own. Yeah, maybe it\u2019s just my vintage soul, cold as ice but with tropical undertones like the breeze… And I think that\u2019s all of us \u2014 we just have to figure out who we are. This week\u2019s new philosophy: Life is not happening to be..   Life is happening with. How empty is society these days? The real talk?   Pretty damn empty \ud83d\ude2e\u200d\ud83d\udca8  But not without hope.   People like us, who feel that void \u2014 we\u2019re the ones who can fill it with something different. So many folks today feel this emotional hollowness in the world.  Things move fast, feel transactional, and stay surface-level.  There\u2019s this pressure to perform, to curate, to keep up \u2014 but not always room to feel, to connect real, or to just be. When someone drops a caption \u2014 dreamy, nostalgic, poetic \u2014 it feels like a quiet rebellion against the noise.   A soft resistance. A yearning for something real, intimate, timeless.   Maybe even a nudge that the soul doesn\u2019t belong in a world obsessed with appearances and speed. Gossip sesh: Chatting with a Chilean friend, he asked if I care about what others think. That\u2019s a big question, you know.. He wasn\u2019t talking about being curious about other people\u2019s ideas but about how much their opinions of me affect me \ud83e\uddd0 I told him I care about the human side \u2014 what someone thinks \u2014 but not as judgment. I want dialogue that lifts you up, not clips your wings.  I literally said, \u201cI love watching someone unfold their ideas, but I don\u2019t care how they judge me.\u201d Personally, when I give an opinion, I try to make it a window.  Why? Pretty easy. ‘Cause that way, I\u2019m empathetic, seeing what they see, while still walking with my own eyes. I don\u2019t like passing judgment or saying, \u201cThis is blue,\u201d and trying to sway someone\u2019s view.  I don\u2019t want others to think through my mind.. I want my words \u2014 whether you hear me or read me \u2014 to be like literary architecture, each word a mirror.  Not a dark mirror or one that just shows your reflection and calls it a day.. I mean a mirror where the light is just right to see yourself clearly but also lets you look as far as your mind can take you. And you\u2019re probably wondering, how far do I look? I look without horizons, without limits, because naming something puts a fence around it, stunting its growth. Dear reader, I don’t create a blogpost “for” someone, but “with” someone. I mean\u2014 I think of my writing as stepping into your own mind, like it\u2019s a house. Maybe it\u2019s got cobwebs and dust, maybe it\u2019s swept and tidy, maybe it\u2019s got no windows, or maybe you\u2019ve never even gone inside, too caught up with what\u2019s outside. But my writing invites you to step in, to read things you hadn\u2019t thought of before, to expand, to notice the couch could go by the window, and from there, you might start thinking about everything you see when you step outside \u2014 like a meditation, a self-exploration. My words carry layers: \u201cMaybe with cobwebs and dust\u201d \u2192 there\u2019s neglect, but no judgment.   \u201cMaybe without windows\u201d \u2192 the mind as a space yet to see.   \u201cMaybe you\u2019ve never stepped inside\u201d \u2192 we live outward, in noise, in consumption.   Me? I just brought you a candle \ud83d\udd6f\ufe0f I\u2019ve always said there\u2019s no absolute truth, and as Clarice Lispector put it:   \u201cI am not me. I am a space that others fill.\u201d But me? I don\u2019t wait for others to fill my space. I just open it up like a field without edges, a place where looking doesn\u2019t mean defining \u2014 it means setting free. In fact, I told my friend I sometimes feel my purpose in life is a bit like Socrates\u2019. He asked if I was serious or joking, and I laughed at my own confidence when I said, \u201cI am.\u201d  He got a bit confused, so I clarified, \u201cI\u2019m not Socrates reincarnated. I mean I spark the same thing he did \u2014 I make people think.\u201d  Dear reader, that\u2019s what naturally moves me. Here\u2019s what I know, dear reader: if you\u2019re here, you\u2019re searching for something.  My writing will shake you up if you\u2019re not ready to think about you.   Me? I\u2019m not above anyone. I just know myself and share the paths I\u2019ve walked, hoping you might start your own journey on one of them (: This week\u2019s words are just to say: you\u2019re not alone. This isn\u2019t a space where we\u2019ve already \u201cmade it\u201d \u2014 it\u2019s a space to think together. Even if my soul feels out of step with this era, that dissonance between my inner world and the outer one? It\u2019s real, but it\u2019s not a punishment.  For me, it\u2019s a guide, a reminder that this is just one more journey. And as my fun Chilean friend put it, ‘being aware has to tie to action‘. His exact words? \u201cAction makes you free, even if you mess up.\u201d Like I\u2019ve said before, \u201cRegrets are a waste of time.\u201d   That\u2019s not freedom. That\u2019s trauma dressed up as tradition. This reel of soul keeps turning. And every frame\u2014 every word\u2014 is a choice to live with, not for. Bye now!\ud83d\udd6f\ufe0f<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":276,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-275","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/omnivoicebox.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/275","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/omnivoicebox.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/omnivoicebox.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/omnivoicebox.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/omnivoicebox.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=275"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/omnivoicebox.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/275\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":282,"href":"https:\/\/omnivoicebox.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/275\/revisions\/282"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/omnivoicebox.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/276"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/omnivoicebox.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=275"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/omnivoicebox.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=275"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/omnivoicebox.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=275"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}