Cousin Afonso's 18th Birthday and the Changes!
18 years ago I would go and spend weekends in Marinha Grande and enjoy its lively Carnival. At the time we already had (me at 17, and my brother at 16) the green light to travel and spend weekends away, which was…
18 years ago I would go and spend weekends in Marinha Grande and enjoy its lively Carnival. At the time we already had (me at 17, and my brother at 16) the green light to travel and spend weekends away, which was very unusual. We started doing it from the age of 15.
But there were other times when turning 18 was a sign of a passport stamped for freedom. It meant the power to really live! It meant being able to take your driving test, travel, and express yourself without the stifling shackles (of the parents' narrow view – ignorant, fearful and, most of the time, armed with prejudices about what others would think... - Sometimes you were even ashamed of them.) Those were different times…
Also, 18 years ago there were no Blogs, and so this was not a way of writing a book / diary / book of experiments and sharing it. Changes are most welcome :))
Fortunately a great deal has changed, we are more mature, and certainly many other things will change. More and more we are capable of self-analysis and self-criticism, and that is the direction in which the times are evolving: a self-improvement of ourselves! That is also what freedom means.
Freedom is like understanding: it cannot be taken away or reduced; once gained, it can only be expanded.
Lena and Rui are good examples of just that: brave, in other words Free! And so they still are today, gifted with a will to Live, Discover and Share!
That is surely also how this Initiative came about, to throw a Mega Integration Birthday party! The idea was to bring together Afonso's friends, their own friends and family. That way we all shared and celebrated Afonso's 18 Years together!
8.30 p.m. - Starters and aperitifs amid conversations of how long has it been and how are you? Familiar friends and new acquaintances! 9.30 p.m. - Dinner 11.00 p.m. - Screening of the film of Afonso's 18 Years, with messages from his friends and family. Midnight - Cake Dancing, chatting, sharing until… the sun came up! Congratulations Afonso, mum and dad and family on the fantastic Initiative!
Might someone one day invite us to a picnic party on the beach, where everyone brings their best speciality! What recipe would you take to such a celebration? And what if it were a naturist beach (nudist, that is)? ... Until One Day…
:)