My Answers for 15 Inspiring Questions

Oh my, this was quite difficult for me to answer. I do not make it a habit of speaking about myself, unless it’s through my poetry or life stories. I’ve been trying to persuade myself into writing my Bio for Illumination, I will soon, hopefully — I think — still thinking.

I apologize, Dr Mehmet Yildiz. I’ll get to it. You deserve much more then I’ve offered.

I’m taking advantage of John Ross’s, invite to answering these 15 questions as a start. Thank you, for the invitation.

So, here we go.

Hello, everyone my name is Rigópoula, it’s a pleasure to meet you all…

1.What’s something that nobody could ever steal from you?

There is always a thief somewhere in the story, there is always something, that could be stolen.

A thief’s stomach is always hungry, only satiated when he fills it with something that they have no right to. Until they hunger again.

My baptismal cross was stolen from me, it was taken out of vengeance, not by necessity.

I was a child but I still remember the cruelty, it was a symbolic act on the thieves part, a message to my family, maybe they were in need of the divine, maybe they paid Charon for their passage with it, who knows these things, ehhh?

The symbolism behind the act was of greater offense then the value of the cross, nothing was holy to them, not the innocence of a child, nor god.

But I believe you’re searching for something deeper, I’ll bite.

My ‘footprint’ cannot be stolen and I’m not speaking of the ones I left in the sand.

I’m speaking of the ones I’ve yet to leave.

A piece of advice, never build your palace in the sand. Build it in your dreams, the sky’s the limit, within our stratosphere, of course.

The thief left their footprint, whilst carrying away my cross, sadly.

So my footprint

2. Who would you like to forgive right now?

Right now, this moment?

Hmmm, I have already forgiven everyone who I feel has wronged me.

They are forgiven, only as much as they allowed themselves to be.

Then their are those I do not allow myself to forgive, like everything in life, forgiveness is earned. The cost varies, so does the fallout.

If I felt I had offended someone, I’d move heaven and earth, redemption is a mighty motivator and everyone deserves a second chance but they must find their way. It isn’t difficult to forgive someone who really has made the effort and has changed their ways.

It is easier to forgive those who have wronged me personally, then those who have harmed someone I love.

Then their are those who find forgiveness in their own arrogance. Sadly… I don’t think I can be of any help there.

These questions you ask are as two-faced Janis, they look to the past and to the the future,

The answers are not so simple, nothing of importance is simple,

3. What is happiness?

‘Elusive’,

I do not fool myself with moments I titled as ‘happiness’, they were fleeting

The happiest moments in my life were laced with tragedy, that is where I garnered my strength,

I suppose, I can say my ‘happiness’ lies in those moments, I was learning the lessons, and thankfully not being the one teaching them.

I’m content with ‘elusive’

There’s more to my definition of happiness but I’m afraid you the reader may need therapy by the time I explain it, I’ll have compassion on you and desist.

Elusive.

4. What impact do you want to leave on the people you love?

There is no impact to be made, that sounds so forceful to the ears of my soul, No, I cannot force love, neither can anyone, although we’d all like to blame love for our fallacies.

Love is Love and does what love does best, creates new beginnings,

those ‘in love’ need be schooled in the theory of evolution, love can’t do it alone it needs a helping hand to mature.

Finding love is special, keeping it is epic.

Those I love, love me in return and I am grateful, for their graciousness.

As we say,

Δεν είναι τέχνη ν´αγαπας

Είναι ν´σαγαπουνε

Να κανείς τις σκληρές καρδιές

Για σένα να πονουνε. (Karpathian dialect).

Translation;

“It isn’t a technique to love

It’s to be loved

To make those unmovable hearts

feel (hurt) for you”.

If you can master that, well…

I’ll give you a hint, it’s called, charm. ((giggles))

5. What is life to short to tolerate?

Disrespect of a child and an elder,

No, if’s, and’s or but’s about it.

Never be fooled that a child forgets a wrong, they don’t. You hurt a child, you’ve hurt the adult they will become.

And for our elders,

«Αν δεν έχεις γερό δώσε και αγόρασε»

Translation;

“If you don’t have and elder in your home, give and purchase one, their wisdom is priceless”. (Greek Proverb)

Respect the elder in the child and the child in the elder.

6. What’s something that used to scare you, but doesn’t anymore?

The death of my parents.

I mourned them before I even lost them, hmmm.

I still do,

7. What do you want to remember forever?

I have a photographic memory, in technicolour and surround sound, it can be very overwhelming, I find myself shaking my head in the hopes of suppressing them at least long enough for me to sort them out. They rush in, hmmmm, like fools, they’re very painful

It’s not what I want to remember, it’s what I cannot forget that’s an issue.

Since, my precocious mind has come to the decision to hold onto my memories, I believe there are lessons still to be learned, I can’t run from them, so I accept them, albeit grudgingly,

when the lessons are made clear to me, I can then put them in their proper place, but forgetting no, what would it serve?

Something memorable enough to be remembered doesn’t stop at our forever, they’re eternal because they are shared.

I’ll keep them, all, my memories.

8. What do you always look forward to?

Affirmation, the affirmation of my existence would be thoughtful,

if not, I’m still here though, ooops.

9. What do you appreciate the most about your life?

Everyone, has a place in my life.

It’s a hierarchy of priorities, I tackle them as they come, I appreciate that I was given the trust of others. Is there anything more telling than to be handed the trust of another? It is humbling.

“Be careful who you make host of, for they may be an angel of light… everyone”.

10. What recently reminded you of how time flies?

The vacuum — space between the death of my parents.

11. What’s something that everyone should be able to say before they die?

I feel this is a trick question, they’re all trick questions, no?

There is never one thing to be said, about one’s whole life, so many facets, layers,

I’ll choose one but not limited to…

‘No regrets’,

that’ll do for now.

12. In one sentence who are you?

Your smile,

There you go, I saw that.

“Really, now Socrates, — “Know Thyself”?

“I’m the solitude that resides in the peace of my mind, ”.

13. What’s the number one life change that you need to make in the next six months?

I believe I was born into the family I was born to for a purpose, gifted my parents for a reason, and I was truly blessed, if I can impart some of their wisdom, either through my writing or extending my hand in good faith, then why put a time frame around it, change doesn’t come overnight it is a progress, therefore I’d rather do it correctly in a year, then let’s say, the six months allotted time. Done correctly it sticks. Patience is kind.

Change, no. Grow, yes, I can’t wait to see the progress myself.

14. What would you do differently if you knew no one would judge you?

Avenge the murder of my uncle, but I’m much to self disciplined in matters of dishonour, therefor I will be patient and allow time to finish what was started.

One of the murderers’ has passed on but the cruelest of them all, the one that cleaned his knife by ingesting my uncles blood and boasted about it still walks amongst us. When he is gone… maybe then I’ll be able to forget the anguish my father suffered over the death of his only brother. In a village the size of ours it takes all your strength to keep your humanity.

My uncle left behind six children, his wife, my aunt was pregnant with her seventh child when my uncle — left us his years. My aunt gave birth to a son who was named Polichroni, which means ‘many years’, a prayer, that he’d live a long life.

I hurt not for myself but the children and my father who were devastated, and the injustice… father was never the same.Other than wanting justice to take its course, I’m living my life in an exemplary fashion.

Should I be judged for that? Time finishes us all,

I’ll take it.

As it is written, let it be done.

15. In one word, what do you live for?

Ahhhhh, do I have any other choice?

Thank you, all for your time, This is the most I’ve said in a month, aghhhhh — I’m just simply me, figuring myself out.

Copyright ©. R Tsambounieri Talarantas. May 10, 2020. All Rights Reserved.