All Things Must Pass

But some things we will remember forever.

I've been to places that brought me to my knees with their spectacular beauty and the kindness of their people, and Rio is at the top of that list. It helps that I spent many years in such a tropical paradise. However, getting to Rio in one piece wasn't easy, not by a long shot.

Let me rewind for a bit…

One sunny day in Buenos Aires, at 16 years old and rebellious as ever, bitten by the adventure bug, I decided I've had enough. The summer heat was stifling, and I was itching for the road. With Dad away travelling and Mum being easygoing—bless her heart—I figured there was no way she could contain me. So, I seized my chance and set a plan in motion. Although I didn’t actually have a plan, the only thing I could put in motion was my legs, and they weren't quite prepared for the long-distance trek ahead.

Then there were the police. Those maniacs always seem to interfere with the freedom-loving runaways, whether they’re boys or girls. I thought to myself, “Why can't they mind their own business?" In my still-developing frontal lobe, I reasoned that girls needed the police more than boys did; we should be able to fend for ourselves, right? As usual, life would prove me wrong—quickly.

Most of my buddies had run away by now, but none had gone international. They only tested the waters locally. I wanted to go big and return with an epic story. I had already experienced enough week-long escapades by then, yet the cops always caught me because they seemed incapable of just relaxing. Ugh!

Having a fake ID showing a different age didn’t help either. Argentine police have a knack for “extracting" information from kids like me, and the result was always the same: I got shipped back home. So predictable and boring, I thought.

This time would be different. This time, I would be prepared. There would be no hero cop doing the rescuing. No chance of that at all. But where was my plan? How would I eat? How far could a local bus take me if I only had a few silver coins and tableware?

Mum pivotally came to the rescue. In less than a week, she taught me how to make beautiful, colourful artwork ornaments using a combination of bright beans and nylon threads intertwined. When I finished putting one necklace together and then the corresponding bracelet, I knew I would survive crossing the world's borders and selling my wares to "passer-buyers".

Young, hot tropical nights followed, but the adrenaline of youth carried me through, and the sensation of being as free as possible was beyond exhilarating.

I was on my way to facing the craziest times of my life.

(end of part 1)

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Until we meet again,

Love and light. 🗽❤️

René

Care to treat me with a cuppa? 👇

https://www.buymeacoffee.com/renevolpib

Thank you for reading!