36 Palavras - Things on my resume

Things I put on my Resume

Patrícia, Lisbon, 1980. With a degree in Media Studies from “ISCSP - Instituto de Ciências Sociais e Políticas”, she worked as a journalist at the weekly newspaper “O Emigrante/Mundo Português” and at the magazine “Negócios & Franchising”. She collaborated with the Publisher “Ésquilo” as Editorial Coordinator and as a writer. She was co-author of “Relatos Verídicos – Experiências de Quase-Morte” (True Stories - Near-Death Experiences), author of Isabel Wolmar's biography, “A Vida com um Sorriso” (Life with a Smile) and the autobiography “Um pouco mais de Fé” (A Little More Faith). In 2022 she launched her first poetry book “Poemas que Contam Histórias” (Story-telling poems), published by the Lisbon Poetry Festival. Married and mother of two, she was second awarded in the “Montepio Desafia 2011” contest, with the essay Healthier children - solidarity between generations as a promoter of a breastfeeding culture in Portugal. Between 2019 and 2022 she regularly contributed to the Breathworks Newsletter, with articles on Mindfulness for Health and Stress. She emigrated (intermittently) for almost a decade and returned to Portugal in 2020. Since 2021 she has been teaching Wild Writing® online and in person, in Circles and workshops, to young people, adults and the elderly. In 2022 she trained as a Wild Writing® Teacher with her mentor and Wild Writing’s creator, Laurie Wagner.

And 11 things I didn't put on my Resume

1. That once, completely exhausted of having both babies sick, I stood in that crazy hot bedroom in Ghana, in the middle of the night, holding my crying child and I felt strong. Stronger than I had ever felt before. And I wondered how was that possible - how could such exhaustion bring about such strength. Because it was the only thing I could do. What else was there? There could only be picking them up, holding them, cuddling with them, giving them the medicine, sweating to my core, becoming sticky and smelly of breast milk, taking a shower, going to bed and doing it all over again in a few minutes or one hour, depending on how long they slept that time.

2. How my husband would take the kids to see the herons first thing in the morning. The streets of Tema full of garbage.

3. That I knew little Efua, who spent her days by the roadside with her mother, who sold grilled plantain and roasted groundnuts, a wonderful combination. That three-year-old girl all day playing around with nothing. Once, she had malaria and I took her to sleep in our house, to make sure she took the meds on time and had a comfortable bed. I thought she'd never go home with me because she cried every time she saw us, the obroni family, the white folks, the terrible ones. But she went with me, yes, despite all her suspicion. She went and ate a little, some french fries only, and slept in our bed, open like a starfish, breathing heavily and sweating, and I realized the fever was leaving her body, and that in the morning she would feel better. I could not understand all the thank you’s her mother babbled in twi, local dialect, but I understood the thank you, a thousand times thank you.

4. I didn't put on my resume that one day, not knowing what to do when my oldest son came home from school crying because he had had an F in his math’s test and said he was stupid, I took him out and showed him the two baby pine trees his father and I had planted over the weekend. I told him that, despite everything, those pine trees would grow, weathered as they’d be, and that he too, despite everything, would overcome difficulties and grow. He looked at me, still red-faced and with wet eyelashes, not saying a word. But on the way back home he took my hand and started talking about other things of his day and I knew he was relieved, and I smiled.

5. That I make a mean hot chocolate that my kids say it’s the best in the world.

6. I can still sound like Peppa Pig and her little brother George. When reading stories, I like to do accents and goofy voices, and I criticize my husband for being monochordist when he reads. Our favorite book is probably Tachi - the adventures of the Tibetan cricket, which describes human condition for children in such a sweet gentle way. I'm always amazed by how controlling their spirit the four friends managed to leave the sorceress’s islands.

7. How once I sat quietly on the sofa holding my sleeping baby and I could feel his warm breath on my neck and I posted about it on Facebook, calling it Happiness.

8. That once, my husband left the last Nespresso capsule on the table, with a little note saying I love you, as he left for work without drinking his first coffee, so I could drink it when I woke up. And I also posted this on Facebook, calling it Love.

9. How sad I was that I fell asleep while my dog was having her puppies and three of them were born dead, probably because they were inside her for too long and she was tired to push them out without my support. How carefully I buried those puppies in our garden, but she dug them out and ate them all. How before we gave away all 6 females, I used to run around with them and the male. Seven tiny black things chasing me in the garden, nibbling at my ankles, and how that was pure joy. We kept the only male and named him Rocky - after the green pup in paw patrol.

10. That I had a car accident after my husband had told me that we probably couldn't travel with the dogs, and we'd have to leave them behind.

11. I didn't put on my resume how loyal I am, though probably I should have.