Summary

Lola Rosario, a cultural storyteller, shares her journey of replacing "good morning" with "grand rising" and "buen sol" to spread positivity and honor her heritage.

Abstract

In the wake of the Black Lives Matter movement during the summer of 2020, Lola Rosario, who had recently moved from Harlem to Charlotte, North Carolina, found herself re-evaluating the words she used to greet the day. Inspired by Desidira, a woman she met during this tumultuous period, Lola adopted the phrase "grand rising" as a more uplifting alternative to "good morning." This change was influenced by the realization that words carry vibrations and can affect one's emotional state. Lola also reflects on the impact of small gestures of kindness, as highlighted by a comment from her favorite writer, Omy, who shared the heartwarming phrase "buen sol" (good sun). This led Lola to incorporate "bello sol" (beautiful sun) into her Spanish greetings, paying homage to her Indigenous Taíno ancestors who revered the sun. Lola's choice of words is intentional, aiming to spread positivity and raise social consciousness through her writing and daily interactions.

Opinions

Lola believes that the words we choose to use, such as "good morning," can unconsciously affect our emotional frequency and daily experiences.
The author values the power of language in shaping our reality and prefers phrases like "grand rising" and "bello sol" for their empowering and exuberant connotations.
Lola emphasizes the importance of small acts of kindness, like thoughtful greetings, in making a meaningful impact on others' days.
She sees her language choices as a tribute to her heritage and a way to connect with her cultural roots, particularly through the acknowledgment of the sun, which is significant in Taíno beliefs.
Lola's approach to writing and storytelling is centered on raising social consciousness and spreading positivity, as evidenced by her decision to share her personal journey and the lessons she's learned from it.

CULTURE

Why I Stopped Saying Good Morning

Re-evaluating my words

Image: Free Nature Stock on ISO Republic

The breeze at dawn has secrets to tell you. Don’t go back to sleep. — Rumi

It was the summer of 2020.

Rage brought millions to the streets, protesting the murder of Mr. George Floyd. This was more than an American Mourning — it was a global affair. From Tunisia to Tokyo, Amsterdam to Ankara we were caught up in a tsunami of emotions.

A few months earlier, I had left my chic, tiny Harlem apartment for a quieter, much less expensive city: Charlotte, North Carolina. Under the backdrop of protests against police brutality, my transition to life in the south began.

During those tumultuous days, I met Desidira, a Miami woman in search of justice. We bonded and exchanged numbers. Through her, I learned the term grand rising. That was her way of saying good morning.

Re-Tuning Vibrations

That the words mourning and morning are homophones lends itself to contradictory sentiments. The former creates feelings of loss and grief, the latter referencing how we start our day.

Sounds carry vibrations. And by default, so do our words. By using the term good morning, I was surrounding my space in a lower frequency, creating a space of heavier weight.

On the flip side, seeing Desidira’s warm message across my cell phone’s screen immediately brought a smile. Three uplifting words holding empowerment and exuberance.

Grand Rising Queen

Deciding to use those same words (replacing the last one depending on with whom I communicated), I replaced my old daily greeting. Re-training my brain after a lifetime of speaking a certain way has been challenging. The key is to remember the station my brain is tuned to — remove external static.

Spreading Positivity

Last month, The Shortform published my article on connecting with others. It centers around the pandemic’s effects on human behavior.

Commenting, Omy (one of my favorite writers), wrote:

Small gestures of kindness can really make a stranger’s day. This tidbit reminded me of the time someone instead of saying “buenos dias” me dijo “buen sol!” I thought that was really sweet now I use it every now and then ☀️

Re-reading that remark got me thinking about how I greet folks in español. Typically, I’d go with feliz día (happy day) or bello día (beautiful day). But Omy’s reflections aroused a new desire to switch it up entirely.

Translated as good sun, the sentiment behind buen sol reminded me of my ancestors. Our Indigenous Taíno people worshipped the sun (among other deities). As a tribute to my heritage and focused on spreading positivity, I came up with bello sol (beautiful sun) as my preferred salutation.

Words have power. I choose ones that smile.

Lola Rosario is a cultural storyteller raising social consciousness through writing. Follow the beginning of her Medium journey (June 2021) where she recounts her childhood dream of becoming a pilot. Check out her travel blog: https://latrekista.com and her freelance translation/content writing site: https://thirdaccent.com