Sure, I admit that I fulfill stereotypes, but I also defy many. I'm a complex, nuanced person. I'm not simply loud, flamboyant, and angry. I'm an endless string of adjectives that have nothing to do with my ethnicity or race.
Many years ago, on one of my first dates with my now-husband, he purchased discount movie tickets for us using his AARP card. Now as much as I hate getting ripped off by movie ticket prices, what I learned that day was that I hated being called a senior citizen even more. I made him return my ticket and pay full price.
Some nights, after working fourteen hours a day in his grocery, my father would sit, his pale blue eyes somewhere as far away as the Black Sea, and speak their names: Chaim, Yossi, Leib, Schmuel.
The essence of courage is overcoming fear. We appear to be so in need of heroes these days that anyone who puts on a uniform or performs competently is accorded hero status. Gone is the concept of choosing to assume a risk on behalf of another.
I worry about maintaining independence while "letting the man be a man." If I offer to pay for anything, I worry I've emasculated the guy, which is the last thing I want to do. This, in turn, makes me wonder if I should stop offering. But then I worry: Will he think I'm a "gold digger"?
Everything you need to know about being fearless you can learn from watching children. They play with each other without ever knowing each other's names. They run, jump, climb, fall down and get right back up again. They are also our greatest teachers.
Loneliness is a choice. You can be surrounded by a web of people and if you are using those people to complete yourself, you will still feel lonely. You have the choice to alter that terrifying feeling inside of you and turn it into an opportunity -- an opportunity to discover who you are, who you want to be and the choices you can make to become the best version of yourself.
Like a lot of childless women in their 40s, I hear my biological clock ticking and am thinking about starting a family with my husband. Unlike a lot of my fellow mothers-to-be, I'm paraplegic.
On Father's Day, and every day, I thank my dad for all he taught me, and all of the opportunities that he provided me. But as I run my business -- something that would probably surprise my childhood self -- I also often find myself asking, "What would dad do?"
This and every Father's Day, in addition to remembering my own father, I choose to honor my American father, Colonel Bill Ochs.
What I've learned about fear? It's normal, and necessary -- and nonsense, if we let it get in our way. Fear can either hold us back or be our greatest motivator.
Latino nerds are doubly ostracized. We don't fit in mainstream white culture and our Latino communities often shun us because of our bizarre ways, interests, and beliefs. Many times we're accused of "acting white," whatever that means.
Remember where you came from and those who helped you get to where you are. You yourself are unique, but you come from elsewhere, not from yourself. Remember that. Be thankful for that. Be humble.
Composing and sharing what's in your heart is an exercise in love and a validation of your journey to those who've helped you along the way. This is your one and only life, and how happily you live it is completely up to you.
My mom's attempts to fit me in her nice, little cardigans only exaggerated my already broad shoulders. Her love of mismatched silky florals with a leather skirt or boxy jacket looked freakish on a girl of my age and stature.
Many people think of the fear response as a negative response. They want to eliminate it. Your fear response, though, can actually become a strength, one that you can harness and use to your advantage.