00061: My Bday!

That’s right! Today is my birthday and unlike other birthdays that are quietly acknowledge through a small gathering or a trip to New York or Disneyland, this birthday, on April 3, 2021, is being acknowledge with humility because I’m overwhelmed with sadness for the people I’ve lost since this pandemic started.

It’s only been a month since I lost my oldest aunt, Tía Gela, the one that took care of me (and my siblings) while my mother had to go to work. And no, I’m not talking “taking care of me like a babysitter,” no, I’m talking taking care of me for days, weeks, months, years at a time! She was my second mother!!!

It’s been five months since I lost my best friend, Luis, the one that took me to the theatre every time I was in Mexico, the one with whom I traveled all over Mexico, and with the one I experienced so many adventures in the Mexican gay underground world.

Between their passing, I have also lost other friends and acquaintances while trying to keep myself afloat at seeing my entire family fight against a virus that has taken the lives of so many people around the world. All these deaths weight heavy on me, especially today, on my birthday.

I’m happy. I’m grateful. I’m thankful for being able to celebrate yet another year but at the same time, I feel sad and, to a certain extend, a little bit guilty, for even acknowledging the fact that it is my birthday. Crazy, I know.

Life goes on and we move on. Each day is an opportunity to make the best we can with our existence, with the hopes to make our lives a little better. And with that thought, I leave you with this beautiful rendition of one of my favorite songs performed by my latest obsession, a trio of artists: father (Korean), son and daughter (Korean/French), singing in Spanish. Issac et Nora. They will go places. #carlosmanuelspeaksthetruth.