Sandra Tena
Stories (80)
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Soddit the Cat
His paws led him on many paths, wondrous and fantastic. Through hillsides and farmlands and a car park or two, and even a river at one point; he’d always known the Great Open Country would be like that, but he’d never imagined that three days into his journey he would already feel free, completely the owner of his own self… If there could only be someone to scratch his belly, then he would be in paradise! Granted, the weather was still quite cold, so he’d found himself daydreaming more than once of a blazing fire or a warm radiator in a lounge; the fuzzy blankets would be a cliché. And the cushion, too. And the plate of mouth-watering sardines or chicken left-overs… Or the bowl of milk – but then he remembered that milk made him gassy and that was why he had been sent away from his own home in the first place, so he pushed the bowl of milk aside in his mind and focused on the cushions and the hearty meals, and maybe a cosy lap. It was so good to have left Pilton and be free now, his own cat in his own land, yes sir!
By Sandra Tena5 years ago in Petlife
A letter to Donald Trump
What can I say that probably hasn’t been said before? Well, even the thought of writing to you is making me physically ill, to be honest, but even though I know you will probably never read this, I have to get all of this off my chest somehow, so here I go. I originally tried starting out with a sarcastic comment about your, erm, endeavours during your time in the presidency, given that so many people are still defending you with so much passion, so my first instinct was to say something funny about how in your commitment to showcase all the racism, sexism, ableism, homophobia, transphobia, bigotry, and downright fascism that’s been boiling under the surface in American society, you took method acting a bit too far. See, that’s where the mistake was, in trying to write as if any of this was funny, because you put so many people’s lives in danger since you first began your campaign, that it instantly turned my stomach when I got to the examples of your “method acting”.
By Sandra Tena5 years ago in The Swamp
New Year's Resolutions
Let’s kick off the year with a quick guide for keeping New Year’s resolutions, shall we? The first thing to remember is that it’s not necessarily about what we want to change, but about why we want to change those things. Not understanding this basic first step is why some people end up in an endless cycle of making the same resolutions year after year, adding a layer of “This year I will really do it” as the calendars turn around.
By Sandra Tena5 years ago in Lifehack
Love is Love
It has always astounded me that there is such a belief that who a person loves or is attracted to can be seen as dirty or unnatural by someone else who doesn't share their feelings towards said focus of their attraction. Even at four or five years old, I could never understand why such a thing as a man in love with another man was seen as something to fear or ridicule; and I couldn't understand why a woman in love with another woman was only appealing if on screen, only if they were both what society views as sexy, and preferably if it wasn't real love but rather a way to show the audience that they were both fun and wild.
By Sandra Tena5 years ago in Humans
Thoughts on Covid, masks, life and death on this Halloween
Samhain, better known to most people around the world as Halloween, is the time to contemplate life beyond life, to remember the ancestors and to let go of old attachments and things that often hold us back. I won’t go into the details of the various celebrations around the world or the spiritual and psychological aspects of the original celebrations of Samhain, as that is subject enough for an entry of its own, but I will say for many of us it’s a particularly intense Samhain this year. For those who believe that Halloween is a time to venerate death or that it has anything to do with Satanism or the Devil, I will go ahead and say that is a huge misconception, although Satanists also celebrate Samhain and/or Halloween if they want to, just like any other person who either wants to celebrate the lives of those who have passed on, or merely enjoy dressing up and have a fun night in costume (the kind of costume is entirely up to each individual taste, just like with any other cultural group). Halloween is normally seeped in bloody imagery, with death-motifs and creepy elements such as spiders and goblins, because it originates from a celebration of the opening of the door into the afterlife, sometimes known as the opening of the veil, through which our dear departed ones could cross over to partake in our celebration of their life, and in some areas it was said in legend and myth that the fae could cross over too, either for good or mischief. A lot of what we know now of Halloween as a gore-fest has more to do with the Christian and Catholic interpretations of the old Celtic, Saxon, Nordic and Greek myths, as well as some Latin American traditions, specifically twisted to make the indigenous people’s traditions seem like malignant beliefs and to facilitate the instalment of their own beliefs in their new settlement.
By Sandra Tena5 years ago in Longevity
Christmas Eve at the Life Café
Welcome to the Life Café, open 24/7, every day of the year. If you’re looking for a place to talk about what matters in life, this is it – poetry, music, philosophy, politics, all good. Religion too, and your sex life. Sometimes even historical debates spark up, or conversations about food. And death. You can talk about death, sometimes even your own. That’s what I do here, I talk. And I read my poetry. Sometimes.
By Sandra Tena5 years ago in Humans
Simply Me
Several years ago, as part of my therapy, a psychologist asked me who I am… The answer came in the form of a poem, which only made the therapist ask me to be more concise and to not overthink the matter, response that still makes me laugh… Now, I’ve never pretended to be a poet, but even now I believe that this writing answers the question beautifully, especially because the instruction was to not say I’m a writer because that’s my “profession”, or a woman because that’s my “gender”, or that I am “daughter of” someone or that I’m “a dreamer”, or that “I like this or that”… I added all of that and more, because forming these verses allowed me to express that I accept me as I am, and provided me with more healing than many months of therapy. I hope you enjoy it.
By Sandra Tena6 years ago in Poets
Swimsuits and Lingerie for Mental Health Awareness
Last year I had the absolute pleasure of being part of the UK Calendar Girls competition, rasing funds for Mental Health Awareness and The Chestnut Appeal for Prostate Cancer, two charities I find particularly important in our current times. My gorgeous and always supportive husband Stephen drove me to the photoshoot and later on did all he could do so I got a lot of visibility, furthering my modelling career at the same time as promoting the two charities. It was overall a hugely enjoyable and worthwhile experience!
By Sandra Tena6 years ago in Psyche
