Exactly two weeks from 40, I finally finished one of the most fulfilling, rewarding, and emotional projects of my life.
It's been a process, from thinking of the design and layout (although Claude Code did most of the hard work) to being in the right headspace to write and remember anecdotes. There have been a ton of instances where I just stare at a blank page, not because I have nothing to say, but because there's so much to write about, I don't know where to begin. And there have been moments where I was overcome with emotion (in a good way) and I needed a break from writing.
I am about to embark on what could be the craziest 17-day trip.
I am going to places I wasn't sure I could see again, to cities I'd only dreamt of as a kid, to towns that are home to art I love today.
I'm going to my first Roland Garros because thanks to Alex Eala, I enjoy watching tennis again. I have plans to see an Alexander Calder exhibit in a Frank Gehry building. I've blocked a day to go to Arles and see the town that inspired so much of Vincent van Gogh's work, and is home to another Gehry building. I'm going to Bilbao to see the Guggenheim, and because that happens to fall on my actual birthday, I thought I could treat myself to a fancy meal and found a place whose name is my grandmother's last name -- a fitting tribute to my roots. I'll cap the trip with two concerts because the stars aligned. Did I mention Pope Leo will be in Madrid while I'm there?
And most importantly, two of the people I've written about are joining different legs of this trip.
I am excited and anxious about the next decade. But mostly, at peace, because I know I'll always have this, and you, to remind me that whatever happens, la vita è bella.