Laura Basset Carbonell

A 23 year old apology.

This is a belated letter. Almost 23 years late, but it’s here nevertheless. Now in retrospect I wish I could erase some damage I may have caused you. We did part, not as enemies but as two people who lost a battle. Who lost the most? I ‘d like to think we both gained. How […]

by Laura Basset Carbonell

Another year rushing to its end.

Wait, but it’s still November! You may gasp, but time goes faster as you add-on years. Life conspires to start gaining momentum when you wish it didn’t. When you are young you can’t wait to be old enough to drink, to go off on your own, to finish college, to start making a good living […]

by Laura Basset Carbonell

Procrastination: Why you should stop!

As most people, my to do list resembles more and more a roll of toilet paper. The list of things to get done becomes endless and only gets worse the longer I postpone. The anguish and stress that accompany this habit should have taught me a lesson, but although I promise myself to do things […]

by Laura Basset Carbonell

November rain.

Like tears of sorrow November rains come and subtly leave you drenched inside and out. There is a certain beauty to rain, but often melancholy also sets in.

by Laura Basset Carbonell

And he stole my heart…

I never understood why people took to dogs. Too much work, I thought, until he came along, looked at me and hopped into my arms. Sparky has made my heart spill over with tenderness.

by Laura Basset Carbonell

Coming out of the closet with #oneconversation on HIV and AIDS.

There are few subjects I cannot relate to if they have to do with shame, fear and coming out of the closet about who you are. AIDS and HIV are very delicate subjects nobody wants to own up to, but doing so is important to offer those who suffer the disease in silence some hope, […]

by Laura Basset Carbonell

The need to seek solitude in the midst of the noise.

I know I’m often not in good company when, instead of solitude I experience loneliness. But both come and go and perhaps the latter is more deeply felt in the company of people. The former: solitude, is a place I need to go to, to gather my bearings, and as Henry Miller wrote in The […]

by Laura Basset Carbonell

The solace of belief.

A few years ago I asked one of my students why, after retiring, he had decided to turn to Buddhism. His answer was unexpected. I didn’t understand it then, but I do now. Give it time and most things in life will become clear. “As I age, my friends are slowly dying, and I need […]

by Laura Basset Carbonell

The art of doing nothing: taking advantage of down time without feeling guilty.

I never knew how to do nothing. Sitting and staring into nothingness was not my thing. Until I learnt that instead of staring at nothing I could observe, think and appreciate what was around me without having to do anything about it, just take it in and start my own conversation which often leads to […]

by Laura Basset Carbonell

And a time to settle down…

And a time to settle down… While I respect religion, I’m not a religious person. At school, religion was part of the syllabus; yet, as with many other subjects, information got lost somewhere in space while I was busy daydreaming. Therefore, I remember little from those lessons.