Malaga Baldi (She/her)
Self Bio: I groan when I think of my DIV3. Married my college sweetheart. Love reading and collecting art. Looking forward to a new administration and corona breakthrough. I want a dog.
Year of div 3: 1977
Name of div: Me myself & I /personal essays
Summary of your div 3: Solipsistic writing. Should have taken more American Studies courses.
Hampshire influence: I am a literary agent. Now take as many 19th-century book study classes as I can.
What place on campus was significant to you? : Saga. Pot washer. Basic training.
Describe the on-campus place as you remember it. : Fall 1972 semester looking out my Merrill c203 window at the quad & feeling lonely.
What place off-campus was significant to you?: 10 Finn Street, den of iniquity, Northampton, Mass.
Describe the off-campus place as you remember it.: Overlooked a liquor store parking lot
12/26/2020.
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My introduction:
The letter to my younger self is full of hope tempered with cynicism and experience.Some of my comments or suggestions may sound like advice to a newlywed couple or new parents.
Hampshire was one of high points in my life.
Hampshire made me the person I am today.
I became aware, made life long friends. I came out.
However, my Division 3 project was a dreary embarrassment.
Life Lessons to Division one self
1. You are as smart now as you will ever be. Push & challenge yourself, try harder. The day you graduated, brain cells began slipping away.
2. Don’t take no for a final answer, work it. Rejection is part of the master plan. Where there is a will there is a way. Ken Burns F71 became renowned for his persistence & got the narrators he wanted for all his films by knocking on every door, sometimes three times.
3. Stick to your guns, believe in your work, yourself, while listening/reading/following the masters/mentors in your field. You have to learn to walk (proud) before you can fly.
4. Practice practice practice, listen listen listen & meditate on your experience.
5. In med school the rule is watch one, do one, teach one.
6. Work hard / play hard.
7. The best friends you may ever meet are from Hampshire. Keep your friends close, your enemies closer.
8. You are #1. Don’t be arrogant. Be humble.
9. No regrets. Buy art. If there is something you love, chase it.
10. Used cars are fine. Vanguard is a great way to invest.
11. Trust doctors. Dont follow leaders. Watch out for parking meters.
12. Bad behavior comes from being insecure. Anger is based on fear. Breathe.
13. Help people. Be kind. Walk in someone else’s shoes. Don’t be mean. Don’t talk with a mouthful of food in person or on the phone, ever. People leaving a building have the right of way. Hospital corners are overrated. Don’t chew gum at home. Manners are important.
14. No means no. Avoid instant gratification. Exercise.
15. Open caskets arent for everyone. My headstone will read: AS IS.
16. Keep a journal. Don’t write, text or drive when you are drunk.
17. Don’t be afraid to ask for help. Don’t be afraid to take suggestions or question.Instead of diluting yourself or your intention, help & suggestions make you & your work stronger & thicker. This is a daily challenge for me, asking for help.
18. Pivotal points in my life: growing up in Spain, learning English by exclusively watching television one summer, going to Hampshire College, meeting Lucy, AIDS, working for Candida Donadio, starting my own business, becoming a parent of Orian, 9/11, the death of my father/mother/brother, therapy/aa, La Corona. All this to state that life happens. Whatever you missed out on at Hampshire can be studied/chased independently. Modes of inquiry. One can do division ones for the rest of your life.
19. Loneliness, regret, pain, loss, sadness, grief, shame pass us by just as quickly as happiness, cheer and gratitude. Acceptance of all shades of feelings is key. Read the Tao Te ching. Good and bad live together. Ying Yang.
20. Waiting for something to happen is not living in the moment. Loss & grief are meant to be filled with love & hope. Easier said than done: BE HERE NOW.
What We Remember 