Personal Narrative: Dona Mari

I remember looking at myself in the mirror and giggling at the white freckles scattered throughout my cheeks and nose. This was the last day, and even though I enjoyed the freshness of the paint sprinkling on my face during the hot and humid days of Guamuchil, my body was tired and ready to finally rest. I took a shower and went to bed. I laid there, anxiously waiting for it to be tomorrow and see the end result: Dona Mari’s renovated home.
Dona Mari was a humble, sweet old lady. She and her husband were the oldest couple, living in a small home at the end of the same dirt-road street my Abuelitos did in Mexico. They never had any children so when they got old, there was no one to take care of them. However, they lived in a close-knit community
where everyone knew and cared for each other. Dona Mari’s birthday was approaching, and her husband, Don Manuelito, wanted to do something special for her. He had some money saved, but not enough, to fix their broken home. Everyone loved them and saw how much they struggled to complete simple tasks of their daily routine so, when he reached out, everyone was more than willing to help out.
Once we were done, I thought it was the most beautiful home in the whole block.
It was perfect – definitely much better than the old one. Everyone had been working so hard to fix it and give Dona Mari and her husband an easier lifestyle. I knew she appreciated it, they both did, immensely. They took the time to visit every home and personally thank each family. She even made bunuelos for all the kids one night and invited us to her new home. She thanked us, kids, too for helping out and painting. We asked her how she liked the new house, and she expressed how grateful she was. Her eyes got watery. We didn’t think much of it and assumed it was because of happiness. Then, someone else asked if it was better than the old one. A tear rolled down her cheek and with a knot in her throat but a smile in her face she said “it’s different.” Then she told us about her old home; her husband had built it for her before they got married. There was a sparkle in her eyes as she described what it originally looked like. Her face lit up and she described every last detail. She didn’t have to give a direct answer, but her answer was evident. Even though her home was broken and needed to be fixed, the original would always be better in her
eyes.
It didn’t make sense to me. How could she not just simply say “yes”? Her old home was falling apart! The paint was chipping off in most of the walls. The tiles near the front door were so broken they could cut a barefoot person’s foot or cause them to trip. The roof was a map because of the drywall stains. The bathroom was broken and had to be flushed by filling up buckets and then pouring them down the toilet. I laid in my bed just thinking about it without a clear reason. It wasn’t until the next day, when I asked my dad why she thought that why, that it finally clicked. I told him my reasons for saying the new one was better. He smiled and said Nonuritas, that’s why you think it’s better but you’re trying to understand why she prefers the original one. Tell me, why doesn’t Dona Mari think it’s better than her original home? I didn’t even have to answer. I realized it was all about perspective. Saying something is better than or inferior to something else is subjective. It depends on what you appreciate and consider valuable. Therefore, the outcome of the comparison depends from person to person and situation to situation. There is no doubt that something fixed is better than something broken. Yet, the same cannot be said about the original. Things are simply different. When things are broken, all it means is that there is room for improvement. However, there is something beautiful about repairing things. Fixing things requires effort, sometimes physical and sometimes mental, and more often than not, it requires people working together. Repairing something is proof of perseverance. It’s working hard to try again and built something stronger, more beautiful, and long-lasting. It feeds motivation and requires discipline. It’s a challenge and challenges bring out the best in people because push them work harder, smarter, and together to achieve their goals. However, it can never be guaranteed that it will be the same or better or even worse. We just know it’s different.