Returning to myself

by Marcos Luraschi (Argentina)

I didn't expect to find Argentina

I was very eager to make that trip. Really. I wanted so much to come back to one of my first (of many) love(s): the sea. So I arrange my things, I phoned my aunt (she lives there since I was just a child) and I told her that I'll be there soon. She was so excited ... So I take the bus and ... Arriving at the station, the smell of the sea, the beauty of the city ... More than "returning to one place" I was coming back to a feeling. I was coming back to an age and era that now are very, very far away. Anyway, I took a bus to her place ... and there she was: so happy to see me. Both of us hugged for a while and we really couldn't belive how much time passed since the last time we saw each other. I still remember some things and events (very few, actually) that my mom, my brother and me lived there, with my aunt. But in a word: innocence. All that time "when we were young and beautiful" was coming back to me like an avalanch of sweet memories. And her sweet voice, her love for animals (yes, me included in that category), and the endless sea ... I really can't describe all I felt at that time but I remember very gratefully, because that was the first of many "come backs" to my aunt. And she's always happy to see me. And I'm always happy to be her puppy. But most of all, that feeling of "I want to be in this kind of bewilderment forever" invades me everytime I visit her and her people (neighboors and friends). So in one way or another, the sea, the beaches, the city ... are bringing back the best of me: of my memories, of me being in a peaceful place. I really adore (and need!) peaceful places and people. Actually, that's one the things I love when I travel: the opportunity to experience many differents way of living. And that's not to say I want to run away from my life and from my problems. Not at all. But it does mean: the world is an open place, full of abundance (material abundance, spiritual abundance, natural abundance, kindness abundance, love abundance, etc.) and I really think that so many of us grew up believing we can really have (and experience) so little ... It's a sin (from my perspective, at least) to think we have "so little to offer, so little to share" ... We're sharing very special times that gives us the opportunity to be the best version of ourselves. And the real sin here is not to take it. Not to belive it. The truth is our very own light sometimes scares us. But I really think we're here to serve: to share our own ("scary") light, so we can be our very own best version of ourselves ... basically, it's the best "light" we can be. And together also we can share with the world our experiences and help each other, forgive each other, we really can learn to grow as a society. And we need that. And we can do that. I really think that trips are very good ways to do that. But -of course- not the only way. Art (in all its forms) provides us magnificent ways to communicate with each other. To share. To help each other. And I don't want to sound "mystical" but I really believe that the best trip we can take it's to ourselves, to our very own magic, which is the magic of life. And from there: there are no roads, just like the "Doc" would say in Back To The Future. The best way is that one that you make as you're walking. So I really hope -from now on- to take many others trips to myself. And -maybe, just maybe- the sky could be the limit.