“Got to Get” by Robin Estevez

~ Robin Estevez ~ Leave a comment

I’ve got to put my kids to bed
I’ve got to get up early for work
I’ve got to walk the dog
I’ve got to take out the trash
I’ve got to fix this problem
I’ve got to help with my kids homework
I’ve got to go see mom & dad
I’ve got to make the call
I’ve got to to meet with the bank
I’ve got to write this post
I’ve got to…I’ve got to…I’ve got to…

What happens to your mindset when you change the “O” in “Got” to an “E” and make “Get?”

I get to put my kids to bed
I get to get up early for work
I get to walk the dog
I get to take out the trash
I get to fix this problem
I get to help with my kids homework
I get to go see mom & dad
I get to make the call
I get to meet with the bank
I get to write this post
I get to…I get to…I get to…

I assure you that this subtle difference will change your thinking from scarcity to abundance. You see you “GET” to live each day and do all the things that make up your life. It is up to you to recognize the privilege to do them and the opportunities laid out before you everyday. Of course there are things we rather be doing and not do. However have you ever thought how many people would like to trade what they have to do for what you GET to do.

Pick Yourself

~ Robin Estevez ~ Leave a comment

When you reach within yourself
What do you see?
How deep are you willing to go?
To grow
How scary is it for you to
Look into your eyes & see…yourself?
Realities of the day numb you
and
Do not reflect the reality of your being
Are you will to get your hands dirty?
Digging deep
Creating who you are meant to be
Who are you to be?
Know your potential
I believe in you
and
See more for you than you for yourself
Go ahead
Pick yourself

#Day7 #YourTurnChallenge

“It’s Snowing” by Robin Estevez

~ Robin Estevez ~ Leave a comment
snow blog post
Snow fell overnight
Coating everything a bright white
Tree limbs hanging low
From the weight of the deep snow
Picturesque
Framed by the window
My eyes
Try to grasp this wonderland
Kids laughing & playing
In snow so deep it goes all the way up waist high
Stretching their necks
Eyes held wide
Tongues sticking out
Catching snowflakes
Falling from the sky
They’re laughing & playing
In snow so deep it goes all the way up waist high
#YourTurnChallenge #Day6

“Immigrant Dreams” by Robin Estevez

~ Robin Estevez ~ 1 Comment
statue of liberty blog
Left my home
For a new place
With only hope to sustain me
I dream of a better tomorrow
But today I will
Go hungry & not sleep
Putting miles
Beneath my feet
I’m hungry for that better tomorrow
I can taste it with every sunrise & the morning dew
I can see it so vividly in my dreams
I’ve forgotten where home is
To be
I’m in a daze
With nothing in my belly
Days filled with walking, dreaming, swimming, hiding
I’m homesick
Wanting mama to serve me un platito de algo
What should I do, que hago
Do I turn back
And forget about tomorrow
Do I continue & send back
Un dinerito para mama
So that she has something to serve, para servir
As the sun sets I make my bed & my mind
To find that better tomorrow
#YourTurnChallenge #Day5

“Matches in Hand” by Robin Estevez

~ Robin Estevez ~ Leave a comment

With matches in hand
I didn’t burn the bridge
Humbled by the actions that just took place
Forces greater than mine kept me in my place
My voice steady & still
Allowing focus to flow
Creatively creating clarity through conviction
I will not be convicted
Pinned down
Paraded around as a fake, liar, or phony
I will be no ones show pony
I did not bend, fold, crack, or stumble
I did not mumble
I raised my voice
Didn’t choke on a Question
Authority
Maintained it on my side
Because my value is greater
As his is lesser

#YourTurnChallenge #Day4

A Mother Keeps Her Promise

~ Robin Estevez ~ Leave a comment
Cannot imagine having to part with one of my own
Whether by choice, necessity, or God’s will
We’ll soon be together Mi hijo, my son
I imagined she whispered in my ear
In between the Lord’s Prayer & countless Hail Marys
A necessity
Forces a hard choice to be made
With God holding them in his embrace
Mother & child
Lives together enlaced
Will this be our fate?
Not enough time
Not enough money
Not enough of me
To work on the factory line, cook & clean, & tend to you, your brother & sister
This is not enough for me!
Father
There has to be
More for me
For them
Because even though
I have to leave one behind
We’ll always get ahead
Because my faith & will are strong
United we’ll be
I’ll work & pray & work & pray
More & harder
Until we are all back within your embrace
robin toddler
Picture of me as a toddler with long hair.
 
#poem
#YourTurnChallenge
#Day3
@robinaestevez

Because I can

~ Robin Estevez ~ Leave a comment

Because I can
Dream
As Martin did
For a better tomorrow
Today
It’s my turn
Now
To dream a bigger dream
Create a bigger future
For you & me
Together
Because guess what
It’s your turn too

“A Can Full of Dreams”

~ Robin Estevez ~ Leave a comment

By Robin Estevez, @robinaestevez

So much of our lives revolve around work, family, and dreams.  This poem encompasses all of that for me.  I originally wrote it in Spanish but have translated it here for my English speaking friends.

“Una Lata Llena de Sueños”

Soy hijo del sudor

ganado en el almacén

detrás de los mostradores

alcanzando más alto

para poner un lata llena

de sueños

Llevo dentro la pena

de un esposo que

solo sabes cuidar su familia

cuidando su riesgo

asegurado

por el plato de comida servida a sus niños

donde a él le falto

ellos tienen

Apoyado por la voz

que se escucha de otro lado del teléfono

que estas entre su hombro y oído

ella les pregunta por quinta vez

“Viejo a qué hora llegas?”

Below is the poem translated into English

“A Can Full of Dreams”

I’m son of the sweat earned in the

The back room de una bodega

Behind the counter

Reaching higher

Trying to place a can full of dreams on

The top shelf

I carry within me the sorrow

Of a husband

That only knows how to tend to his family

Tending to his risk

Assured only

By the warm plate served to his kids

Where he went with want

They know none

The only support he hears

Is the voice of his wife coming through

The phone stuck between his shoulder & ear

Asking for the 5th time,

“Love when are you coming home?”

#YourTurnChallenge #Day2

https://robinestevez.wordpress.com/

2015-01-20