When I was a kid...

I used to wonder why no else would
I used to follow airplanes through the sky to make sure they never crashed into my house
I used to think yerba buena bred grasshoppers
I used to think my mom was the smartest woman to ever grace this planet
I used to fantasize about kissing little girls named Wendy behind my classroom
I used to dream that magical beings would fall from the sky and land in my back yard
I used to wonder why the guy next door had a funny accent but still spoke Spanish
I used to think dodgeball and kickball were real sports
I used to think my dad was the meanest guy ever
I used to pray every night
on top of all this...
I used to think this world was perfect

The innocence, wonder, love, ignorance of my childhood conceived the perfect life for a kid. The perfect experience. The bliss that comes with not knowing is equivalent to the devastation it can cause. Today, I look back and thank GOD for the path I've taken... the loves I've had, the loves I've lost... the friends I've acquired and dismissed.

I remember sitting on the grass on my friend's front yard while feeling the cool fall breeze upon my brown freckle face and thinking - I never want to turn 12. But I did... so a new life began. A life of crying, missing the women in my life (sisters and mom), yet assuring my dad I still loved him like never before. A delicate balance of personal tragedy and emotional strain commenced.

If emotion ages with experience, consider me a veterano, "I've been there homie, but it makes you stronger ay." Consider this the summary edition of a growing period where fifteen minute drives felt like trips to Vegas...

This is just a tribute to the past, the starting point to a revolutionary mind starts somewhere que no? Che had his Motorcycle Diaries and I'll have mine... by no means do they compare, but by every stretch, the journey ends in the same place.

...for the details are just that.

Con Safos!
- Lucio