#64 Be my guacamaya

(Dublin), 14/2/2008

Frappuccina,

Guacamayas are very interesting. They talk a lot (like me), and also need lots of attention all the time (at least, Wikipedia says so), which means they are like me. But most importantly, they find a guacamaya and stay together for life… so today I ask you:

BE MY GUACAMAYA

Happy Valentine’s,

K.

I found this note funny and warm. This tells you a few things that I always tried to keep in mind when writing or saying something to Janne. It had to be a fresh topic, one that we shouldn’t have talked that much about. It shouldn’t be long. It was always genuine.

I didn’t plan those topics, but waited to see what would show up around. In this case, I found a National Geographic generic card in a bookstore. It had a picture of two scarlet macaws (or guacamayas). I thought this was perfect.

Now, I am curious to the extreme. I was not going to let a topic such as macaws get away without reading about it. I checked their Wikipedia page to see their habits. One of the surprises I learned at that time is that they do mate for life. It was perfect for Valentine’s Day.

I checked today their Wikipedia page again, but noticed that the one telling the description of their mating is in Spanish. The English version doesn’t do justice to how amazing these birds are. They do mate for life because they take a lot of effort on raising their chicks until they are independent. Even some of their grieving behaviors are like mine.

Needless to say, these birds are very meaningful for me as a Guatemalan. They were among my favorite species since I remember. The Mayan mythology has a special place for macaws.

When I wrote those notes, I didn’t really think of the words in advance. I would put the pen down and let my mind flow. I’d let each word inspire the next one. Each sentence would guide me to the following idea until I used all the available space. I was simply inspired by Janne.

I still am.