Dichos de Cuba
El que quiera su celeste que le cueste – If you want the sky, it will cost you. Success has a price: effort, time, money, dedication, etc. This dicho may sound insensitive, but it is only the truth: hard work is how to succeed. We cannot expect for all dreams to come true without playing a part in making sure they are met. I recently saw a picture on social media of a ballerina wearing only one ballerina pointe shoe. The foot that was bare revealed all the cuts, bumps, and missing toe nails of that ballerina. I am not sure who this ballerina is, but she is living her dream and the picture confirms she has paid a price for her dream to co
me true. I bet she has no regrets about the price she paid. Similarly, all of us in our legal profession have paid a price to get to where we are today. If you believe success is limitless like I do, then we will forever be paying some sort of price. Thankfully, the prices I have paid have been well worth it.
La avaricia rompe el saco: Your insatiable desire for wealth and gain will break the sack. This dicho is meant to be visual. Although avarice is a synonym of greed, avarice also can mean you want but just for the sake of having it, not necessarily to use or waste it. This dicho concerns the latter definition. Someone who continuously gets what he or she wants and just keeps it, will eventually collect enough things to break the sack. If you have seen those TV shows about weird obsessions, you will find these types of avaricious people. One notable person was a lady from a southern state who fanatically loves gingerbread cookies. The lady even goes to work, the grocery store, doctor’s visits, etc. with a big gingerbread doll by her side. Her entire house is filled with gingerbread memorabilia, and she bakes gingerbread cookies every day! This gingerbread lady broke the sack when she turned her residential mobile home into a gingerbread house because there were no more gingerbread things to collect.
Toma chocolate y pague lo que debe: Take this chocolate and pay your debt. Do you know someone who is not responsible enough to borrow money? I know a few. These people require a loan with no interest and will return payment on their own terms (when it is convenient for them). These kinds of people usually come with the reputation they do not pay off their debts, yet have the confidence to continue to seek loans. Beware of these folks. This dicho is what you would tell someone who owes you money and you are trying to collect the overdue debt. The chocolate does not mean much but let’s us consider it a motivating factor to make someone pay you back. This dicho is used mainly by frustrated lenders who are tired of waiting for repayment while the borrower continues on with life without concern for his debt. Sadly, all you are left with after you tender the money to one of these people is this dicho.
By: Monica M. Albarello, Esq., Monica is a civil litigator focusing on personal injury matters. She works at the law firm Conerly, Bowman & Dykes, LLP, in Destin, Florida. She can be reached via email at [email protected]
