Of Trips and Kites

There has been more work than play but I knew beforehand this was not that kind of trip which I was grateful for. Really.

Now, what I wasn't prepared for was the unexpected trip I have been experiencing and so far it has been a hell of a ride. Exciting to say the least. In the last few days I have been challenged on every single aspect I might be insecure about: working under pressure and on the spot, constant flux of improvisation you might say. Monica is a great friend and we're able to work together, that in itself is really rare thing. We can almost kill each other but we are also able to laugh at each other when we have our hands on each other throats.

In five days I have been part of Monica's cooking team which means getting in the water and learning how to swim at the same time. We have been cooking at La Cocina, which is an amazing food business incubator. There, I have learned how to butcher rabbits by a volunteering Cordon Bleu, had several angels (other businesses cooks) while being under the perils of an industrial kitchen and I'm able to happily confirm I can handle live meal worms with my hands.

I've been riding on a lighter bike running some errands and it's also been fun and fast. And here's where I want to make a special stop. I made a small trip to the Embarcadero, which was intended to be a ride to the beach underneath the Golden Gate bridge. It was here where I flew kites with my dad long time ago. I had kept this memory forgotten in my memory roladex but I guess when I went jogging with Monica and Max (her dog), it hit me hard.

Since then, I have been little by little realizing how important San Francisco has been for my family throughout the years (my mom and dad's honeymoon was also spent here) and how much I've changed since. When I look back I realize now, how protected I was from harm. It was a good thing and a bad thing but mostly I think I now have the ability to change what I need to because I have the freedom to do so. I feel happy and grateful that I've had these kinds of experiences in my life which also makes me insecure sometimes because too much freedom feels like a very unstable yet vibrant way to live.

All I know is my family's here with me, looking from a distance but specially, one present from above which in so many ways, makes sense to be right here and now. Thanks is a small word for it but it's for you Don Bugito, Monica Martínez, Phil Ross (and Max).