Maria Rodriguez Bross is an author and playwright delving into the fictional world of all things bodegas, botanicas and creative tales of the supernatural, the unexpected and the phenomenal. Stay tuned Brujas!
Do you Care What People or El Cuco Thinks of You?
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Volume 2; Issue 3; December 2025 Hola Brujas! Do you care what people think of you? I do. Recently, I found myself preoccupied with people's opinions, well, of me. This got me thinking. Is there any benefit to caring what people think of you? In today's social climate, there might be. You see, we've been bombarded with messages of "ignore the haters!", "who cares?" and "do what you want". These messages, although trying to aid in people's confidence, have created a juxtaposed problem, one where many believe their views are already correct and don't require adjusting. I'm not defending trolls or people who are unkind or reactive; I'm simply stating that all feedback, negative or positive, can be valuable. After all, everything you do will affect someone else whether you realize it or not. Caring what others think reminded me of my grammar school teacher, who used to say, "check your attitude". Throughout my life I've had to re-evaluate myself and this month was no different. I realize that I care what people think of me because it provides information that I don't necessarily see or sometimes don't want to see. I'm not suggesting we should accept everyone's judgment as absolute truth, but rather focus on the parts that makes us better aware of ourselves. Feedback serves an important purpose, however small that might be. This self-consciousness motivates me sometimes to take a different course of action that benefits, not the critic, but me. Because if we sometimes care what others think of us, we might learn, evolve and prosper from that criticism. When I was a child, I cared what El Cuco thought of me; for more on that, see my Spanish Word (scroll below). And I hope you read Bodega News (keep scrolling), since I do care what you think of my latest work. Spanish Word: El Cuco (also known as El Coco, Cuca, Cucuy): Boogeyman, Monster or Ghost When I was a child, I didn't grow up with the hope of Santa bringing me presents. You read that right: no Santa. And sometimes, no presents either. (More on that personal tale on a future blogpost and it's not necessarily the sad story you might think.) Instead, I grew up with El Cuco and I truly cared what this Cuco thought of me since I could be taken away from my family, if I didn't behave. Some might think this is a bit cruel. And it probably was since Santa promises rewards while El Cuco enforces boundaries. But El Cuco is folklore, and with any folklore especially those aimed at children, it's usually steeped in a cautionary tale. The truth was that Christmas meant nothing to me without my family and that became the focus of the holidays, not the presents. Looking back, I don't think growing up without Santa deprived me of wonder. If anything, it made me believe that magic was rooted in us and not outside of us. Did you grow up with El Cuco or something like it during the holidays? I'd love to read about your experience. Send me a message at mariarbross@bodegabotanicatales.com. Bodega News
Until next month...Stay tuned Brujas! Other Magical Tales You Might Like:
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Bodega Botanica Tales
Maria Rodriguez Bross is an author and playwright delving into the fictional world of all things bodegas, botanicas and creative tales of the supernatural, the unexpected and the phenomenal. Stay tuned Brujas!
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