It's a Beautiful Life
posted on in: Music, Marriage, Wedding and Life is so rich.
~478 words, about a 3 min read.
Peer 2 Peer
My sophomore year of college, I was alone on many Friday nights. I listened to a lot of music at my desk, CVT monitor and Gateway computer. I was desperately trying to catch up in my taste. My college offered T2 broadband high-speed internet, and I used it to learn how to fetch p2p songs, albums, and live bootlegs via Limewire, Kazaa, and Napster. As an kid of immigrants, with an Asian father, listening to mainstream music openly meant a yelling from my dad or worse, him violently breaking apart my cd player. It was not safe for me listen to any popular radio. I didn't mind being alone on those Friday nights in college. It was a tiny space where I could be myself and listen to new music without fear of my dad's disapproval and reprisal. With overhead headphones, I was blasting trunk bass into my head.
Wedding
My dear friend got married to the most lovely person this Monday, September 23, 2024. I was so very thankful to be with his family, our friends, and her family and friends. To see his joy, her joy, was really great. I must admit, I didn't know he could dance. Me and him are Hispanic men. There's a bit of expectation that we know how to Latin dance. But I had never seen him dance. So when Marc Anthony's Vivir Mi Vida played and he brought the house down, I was so moved.
Before the wedding, my friend shared with me the place where he and his wife would get wed. Civic Kitchen is a cooking school, but more importantly, it's the community that my friend didn't know he needed. Cooking is such a special blessing. I could feel the love in that place.
Extranondo
I really underestimated how much I would miss my wife and kids. The pull is fantastically strong. I arrived late on Tuesday evening from San Francisco to DC. I almost peeked into their room to see them, but I was too worried about waking them up. The next morning I gave them the biggest hugs and kisses. I love them so much.
Mi Vida
Whenever I kiss my wife, my heart flutters just a bit. She's my orbit, and I feel my heart is full on this Friday night. October 4th, 2024 will be our 10th wedding anniversary. I'm so grateful for her and our kids.
The song I listened to a lot in that college dorm room was Ace of Base's "Beautiful Life". Life is so rich.