Spiral Alchemy

Tag: Writing

  • My Big Fat Hollywood Move

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    Mariana Rodrigues Cabral
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    A 24-year-old’s last-ditch effort at “following her dreams” with her boyfriend and moving across the country to see it through It’s been a little over a week since I stuffed my possessions into two suitcases, drained myself dry from parting hugs, and transported myself from Boston to Los Angeles where my boyfriend Rich and our…

  • Hold

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    by

    Mariana Rodrigues Cabral
    in

    There’s an insatiable hunger that food can never dull. It lives in the deepest crevice of your heart, and contorts your dreams till you’re sick. Feed it too much and the hunger spreads. Feed it too little and it’ll eat its way out. Feed it nothing – now that’s the trick. Like a dog whose…

  • Surface Tension

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    Mariana Rodrigues Cabral
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    He held me on the sidewalk while bodies passed, dodging us like we were delicate birds in the middle of the road. I stained his jacket like the rain looming above our heads threatened to stain the city. We had been here before. Me grieving a loss of something I’d never had. Him towering over…

  • Where’d All My Friends Go?

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    Mariana Rodrigues Cabral
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    I’ve been thinking about friendship lately, the inconsistency of it, and the paths we take to certain people. They say you need to take time to work on yourself before you’re marinated and ready for the right romantic partner, but what about when it comes to making lasting friends? When I was an introspective, moody,…

  • Is There a Right Way to Argue?

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    Mariana Rodrigues Cabral
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    Stubbornness. I’m right, you’re wrong. You lose, I win. The classic draw between two; a never-ending battle to the death. We’re all familiar with this game, and though we play it more when we’re young, it never fully goes away. Take a look at the political climate we’re facing right now. These are adults we’re…

  • Chasing Magic in São Miguel

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    Mariana Rodrigues Cabral
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    I recently traveled to the Azores, back to the island I was born on for the first time alone since we immigrated to the U.S when I was four. I had visited a couple of times in the past with my parents and friends, each time as exhilarating as it was absolute chaos. We were always spread…

  • A Server’s Tale

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    Mariana Rodrigues Cabral
    in

    “Bars are the places where life in the city reveals itself…where ordinary people go have a drink, ponder the weather, and are always ready for a chat. Buy a newspaper and enjoy the ebb and flow of people.” -Paulo Coelho Ah, the ebb and flow of people. Simultaneously enchanting and monotonous, especially from the perspective…

  • Sunsets and Writing Tips

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    Mariana Rodrigues Cabral
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    There’s something about 8:00pm that always calms my spirit — the gentle setting of the sun, the quiet comfort in knowing that neighbors and friends have returned from work and can let go. It’s in this moment when day and night touch, when their separate sounds and colors come together, that something tugs at my…

  • Listen to Yourself: On Achieving Self-Discipline

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    Mariana Rodrigues Cabral
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    “The greatest medicine is the emptiness of everything.” When was the last time you sat in silence and felt yourself slip into nothing? Do you ever tune out the noise around you and pay attention to what happens next? If the answer is ‘yes’ and you’ve allowed yourself moments to stall out, this cryptic message…

  • Slowing Down

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    Mariana Rodrigues Cabral
    in

    Thoughts written on the back of specials menus during a late night serving shift It shouldn’t be lonely to be alone. Resilience is knowing this,                      living without relying.                                  Something…