Manuelita and the audacity to make the days count

It was 1962. María Elena Walsh was taking a shower when the melody of Manuelita started playing in her head. And a short time later, all she needed was a moment of looking at her mother's turtle. Susana Rinaldi to create the character and the poetry that became almost a mantra for generations of Argentines.

Even with the hypnotizing scrolling and reels, many of us are always eager to hear more about Manuelita , her departure from Pehuajó to Paris to beautify herself, and her return more wrinkled than when she left and transformed internally. Still excited (about the turtle, who's waiting for her), although more certain of who she is and what she wants. Other forms of beauty.

The proposals to pay tribute to María Elena Walsh at the Palacio Libertad, formerly the CCK , including the immersive exhibition on Manuelita , combined with the reissues of María Elena's entire work by Alfaguara , are further irrefutable proof that interest and enjoyment continue unabated.

Reasons? María Elena Walsh said she loved Manuelita deeply for her tenderness, patience, and simplicity.

Experts speak of María Elena Walsh 's mastery of playing with stories, words, sounds, and meanings ( what nonsense !) and composing lyrics and songs that are unforgettable experiences. Islands of happiness.

Manuelita is brave . She dares to go after what she wants. She decides the price is too small and the world is a mess , and sets off with her baggage of dreams and fears and her shell, which is both armor and emblem.

The turtle may be slow, but it arrives. And along the way, almost everything happens : it breaks with the established, risks the unknown, pursues the dream of beating time with such slowness in its wake.

Who hasn't felt the need to leave in order to find themselves and return?

Likewise (paraphrasing Heraclitus) no one can bathe twice in the same ocean.

So Manuelita resembles a mirror in which we see not only a flirtatious and adventurous turtle but also a reflection of our desire to change and return to that Pehuajó we carry within, with a worn malachite suit and the certainty that daring is worth it.

I sing (with my daughter and alone) Song to bathe the moon , Osías March (“ I want time but not in a hurry/ time to play which is the best” ), El twist del Mono Liso (“ with frenzy/ suddenly the monkey says/ there it is behind the throne/ the orange that I lost ”), Song for puppets (I fall, I fall/ I'm going to fall/ if they don't lift me up/ I'll get up ) and Baguala de Juan Poquito , among other beauties by María Elena Walsh that give us joy without hiding sadness.

Manuelita , the turtle It also reminds me that it's infinitely harder to regret what we've done than what we've left undone. What's better than counting the days, is making them count. Even slowly. A little while walking, and a little while on foot.