Two years have passed. Two years of struggle. Two years of dreams. Two years since that January 20, 2009 when a good man called Barack got to power and I decided to embark myself in the greatest adventure of my life. This was the post that marked the beginning, of this blog and of something else: “What a better time than now, what a better place than here”.
I remember that particular day as clearly as yesterday. I remember the emotion from hearing Barack’s inaugural speech. I remember the tears from seeing all your birthday wishes on Facebook. “Happiness is not real unless shared.” –said Christopher McCandless, from “Into the Wild” (the movie). And real happiness that is when people remember you are still in the world and wish you happy birthday, a pure celebration of life indeed.
Back to the present, today, another January 20th, now of 2011, it seems like another great chap –a certain John Fitzgerald Kennedy– arrived at the White House some 50 years ago (what a great day in history I chose to be born on! hehe). Today, I have just been overwhelmed again. Overwhelmed by all those very many of you who have reminded me of my 30th year on this beauty named Earth. Today I have felt very alive again, very much. And I can only say thank you, to all of you, for being there. Through the hard times and the good ones. Always there. THANK YOU.
But let’s be honest. The journey has not always been smooth let alone painless. Pursuing my grandest dream –that of a better world for all and by all– has gotten me in trouble a number of times, distanced me from my beloved (both physically and mentally) a bunch of others, left me broke regularly, and made me question, almost daily, the worth and sense of this fight till the point of doubting the very meaning of my own life on a couple of occasions. 2 years ago, when I decided to step onto this ship and sail into the unknown, away from the safe harbor, I knew it would be hard, but I could have never imagined the magnitude that hardness would reach: friends abandoning you, few people believing in the feasibility of your ideas, even less willing to give you a hand when in need, and basically nobody giving a damn about you.
But I have carried on, I have found alternative paths around dead ends, shelter when in storm, new partners in my travels, new teammates in my teams. I have always done it, and will always will. I don’t conceive life otherwise. Whatever I do, wherever I go, I always give it my all, always a hundred percent, with all my consequences. This is why I am here: to help others. There is not a single question in my mind about it. This is me.
Today, January 20th 2011, here I am, my heart still beating as strongly as the first day, having learned a ton from the experience and, above all, having met many extraordinary human beings along the way which have inspired me, hugged me, and kept the spark of life alive in me.
And now, I can only look forward, in the most positive of manners, gather all my strengths and energies, pack my bag for another great ride and go. The journey ahead will be long, the battle hard; but harder is the warrior in me and bigger than myself the quest we are on. Wherever my heart will get me. Wherever you may lead me. Together, we live.
THANK YOU