Thanksgiving at Milton St

Not so long ago I was talking about Thanksgiving with a friend of mine. We both regretted not having such a celebration here. Our conversation went about X-mas and New Year´s eve, how people always complain about  dinners with relatives they only see when somebody marries or dies or it`s X-mas or New Year`s eve and they have to gather together, their typical discussions, fights, critical comments. But if you asked them why not celebrating it any other way, one they like better, one that might make them happier, nobody seems to be ready for such a change in their routines or customs or cultural inheritance and they all end up saying “I wish I could but I can`t”

My friend and I decided we could start a new tradition, in the spirits of Thanksgiving but with our own mark, a day we meet only with those we chose to have in our life, friends or family, it doesn`t matter, as long as they are those close to our hearts. Only our thankfulness was for sharing our lives through thick and thin and for all the hands we were given. We agreed on making it coincide with the US celebration, just to have a day of reference, close to December but before everybody gets crazy to meet you before the year comes to its end.

The best of intentions sometimes find some difficulties you didn`t see coming. It was a long weekend and most people took those days off and were out-of-town, or rather, city.

I had two choices, to put it off or to go on with the idea even if just a few friends could make it. And I decided to go on because my friends and I are happy to be together  regardless the number of attendees. Besides, it`s a new tradition and it takes time for it to stick.

We had a good time, even if Marie screamed when Thom went to answer the door while I was in the kitchen. It was all about a big plastic spider I had on the wall !!!

the spider

We had a good time. Little by little the energy in Milton St is changing.

Returning to Milton St – good morning

Two facts: Summer is in the air and I`m living on Milton St.

One of the things I like the most is to be able to have breakfasts in my rooftop, looking up and seeing the sky and not tall buildings. It`s still what we call “bien barrio” which has not exact translation but it means something like “it`s still a neighborhood like in the old times, when the city had just a few skyscrapers and people knew who their neighbors were by their name”.

I leave the house and on my way to the train station I exchange “good-mornings” with everybody. Most people are walking their dogs or sweeping the sidewalk or watering the flowerbeds in their windows. It`s mostly retired people but there are some youngsters too. My new neighbors are in fact, my old neighbors since they`ve known me for more than 30 years, when I lived here in my 20´s and then when I visited my parents. Good-mornings sometimes come with a chit-chat that is another “trade mark” of “bien barrio”. People are curious about my returning to Milton St. and they want to know if I`m staying or I`m selling the house. I satisfy their curiosity , mmm sometimes.

So now and to go with the flow, GOOD MORNING people!! Enjoy your day!!

 

Monday, almost gone

Another Monday.

Very early in the morning, I went to the rooftop and sat on a small mat. I had that urge? to see the sky, to feel the breeze, to hear the birds chirping, to embrace the energy around. I let myself be, just be for a while. Then  I had a little talk, with the Universe? and I said that I was happy to be alive, happy to be there in that wonderful morning, happy for all the good things that happen to me. We chatted for a while, the Universe and me, and as we were waving goodbye, I said “just a little thing … why Monday?” and the Universe smiled and said “life is not perfect”.