So that no one can say I didn’t mention the flowers

Even after going through everything that I endured last year, aside from all the bipolarity issues, I feel a tremendous sweetness in my soul. The more I grow old the more I am grateful to life. Few people have been given the unique opportunities that I’ve had. I rose up on my own from the very bottom until I could speak to the ministers and generals as an equal. I am a winner and that is enough.

I did what I could to help those around me. Apart from my relatives and my ex-wife, I contributed to improve the lives of many people. Some do not nor will not ever know in what way. Some because they were too young, others because what I did was implicit in my duties and activities. What matters is the satisfaction I feel for having done so.

And now, as I approach the finish line, I feel as though I am giving it my all. And I don’t ever think about slowing down. I have already lived so much.

The other day, as my son was driving me in his car somewhere near Pampulha, I commented on how it’s a pity to leave this all behind, because in addition to leaving my loved ones, I will also be leaving behind all the beautiful landscapes, natural and man-made.

I showed him whole streets lined with lush green trees on that quiet Saturday afternoon.

Belo Horizonte grows more beautiful every day. I have had the opportunity to live in other countries before, to witness the beauty of many cities, but I can say that I’m very proud of our capital.

Once when I worked at City Hall, everyone got into setting their computer wallpaper an image of lovely flamboyant flowers in a blooming spring of rare beauty. The tree, one of the many that still remain around the city, is behind the building of that same legislative house.

On the job at the Urban Cleaning department, I drive all around town and my colleagues and I are always commenting about the annual flowerings of the many different species that can be seen around the city. Just recently our intern, Eliane, asked our driver to slow down so that she could photograph the bloom of the purple ipês. The purple seems to go along splendidly with the yellow ipês and as they bloom, the purple ipês regain their lush green foliage. To compensate for the purple ipês, “pata de vaca” comes into the scene, which is a bit smaller, but just as graceful. Pata de vaca contributes further to the variety of colors with a white whose whiteness is beyond comparison.

In addition to the flowers, we can see how Mother Nature organizes herself for the coming of spring. September 21 to me is a date that should be commemorated with many songs and praises.

All one has to do is visit some of this town’s the well wooded streets and observe how, besides the flowers which are incredibly beautiful, the bustling green foliage add a new meaning to colorful which holds me longer to this earth.

Meanwhile time goes by… and I’ll hang around for a while longer.