Silvio Rodríguez, La Maza

I had a dream last night. I was living in Europe. When I woke up I wanted to understand the meaning of it all. It all came down to when I was 18 and lived abroad for the first time. The concept of the world opened up to me. I was taken aback with the possibilities my life could take, a "forking paths" situation that almost made me squint.

A few nights ago, I went to the Allways Lounge to listen to "The Salt Wives". They performed La Maza inspired by Mercedes Sosa. My favorite interpretation of this song is from Silvio Rodríguez. He is so dear to me because it reminds me of the feeling of revolution and the possibility of change. I listened to trova songs all through my high school years and whenever I listen to them today is like having an internal sound check. It keeps me real from bullshit, it reminds me of what's important, just like this song which between the lines pretty much says you're a meaningless blob of nothing without passion, without equilibrium but mostly without beliefs.

Maybe I'm trying to rescue a sense of optimism, of possibility and good opportunities that can arise in my future, professionally and personally. All I know is I felt free when I was 18, mentally freed from what I was supposed to become, not to others but to myself.