The year of transitions

This is the first New Year’s eve I ever spend away from my lovely home town of San Luis Potosi. It is sort of a big deal but also very appropriate for this year where so much chapters where closed and many more have started. Growing up has many facets which are rarely aligned, they are like sliding paralel windows we all cope with at some point or the other throughout our lives. 

Its funny how I dont feel nostalgia anymore for being in ‘pueblo quieto’ (nickname I give to my home town). I just feel gratitude and pride of the times and people I shared such important formative years. Back then there was hardly any indication my life would end up where I am today, at this point. Today most of the people I’ve grown up with are on very set paths, looking to get married, having children and all that stuff I was hard wired to live up to and long for.

Not to say that I dont think about that but its not anymore part of a set path or a milestone I long for. I now know that no single act or series of acts guide us to enlightenment or happiness. Its the sum of our past what makes us happy. Appreciating that is a much more delicate art that it might seem.

This year I dealt head on with an affliction that has shadowed me for a long time. I am no longer embarrassed or ashamed of it. Sometimes people feel uneasy when I speak of it; Anxiety. The breakthrough was not about knowing its something I cant control or something that is not my fault but accepting it as apart of me and learning to live and cope with it is what has made the most difference.

This has also been the year of friends! I have met such amazing people and have worked with such amazing people is hard not to gloat. Not only at my amazing work but on my social life Ive been fortunate to get close with people of different places and cultures. I’ve learned from them and hope the’ve learned something from me. I will non mention a single one because I might fail to mention all. I hope next year and in years to come I continue to know this amazing humans and toast for their good fortune and reminisce over a drink or two or more!

Finally this has been a year of interesting adventures in the life of a want-to-be entrepreneur. I’ve learned so much from mentors and colleagues! I have been able to confirm my aspirations of making a dent I the future of my country by helping out as much as I can in mentoring and evangelizing about a culture of innovation with socially responsible. I care about that ALOT!

My family is a family of exagerators. I think its funny the world did not end (of course). But I cant help it remember my mom always telling me ‘no es el fin del mundo’ whenever something bad happen. I remember thinking how stupid that was and also having nightmare of the apocalypse. Times have been mostly awesome this year, not with the appropriate amount of drama (its in my blood) but I sure not se a reason why I should complain. I have nothing but gratitude for life’s blessings so far.

I dont write as much cheesy stuff as I used to but I felt this year I should try to do it mostly for me. I should come back and read this post in the future and very much remember the significance of this, the year the world didn’t end. 

— PAco

My crazy relatives

I went to the first Guerra family reunion in many many years. Last one I barely even remember. I knew I had a very interesting family just from what my mom told me and very old books and things in my house which gave me and hints here and there but this weekend I was able to tie more knots of my awesome ancestry.

It was crazy, I am still trying to process all that information. We have a very interesting family history full of stories that go back to the 1500’s when my past relatives came from Asturias (Northern Spain) to the new world to seek fortune in Mexico. There are haciendas, revolutions, adventures, entrepreneurship, travel and crazy love stories all over. All that is in my genes! (Sorry, no pirates or ninjas)

My family has a thing about keeping things ‘close’. They had an excuse, well two. One was that there was not that many people to go around and the and the other was that Guerra women were just to hot to let go :P As they (my relatives say) used to say ‘Lets just keep it in the family, its easier’.

There where well over 300 people coming from my great grandfather’s two marriages. There where at least 10 or 20 different bloodlines (family trees) present and some of them where just plain weird and tangled from the aforementioned lust for own blood. There is even a bloodline that its name is Guerra Guerra! (To my american friends: That means that two direct relatives with the same last name formed a family and therefore their children’s last name is Guerra Guerra :D).

My grandfather had to wives also, he married my grandmother at 70ish after he widowed and had two girls who where younger than many of his grand children. I am the youngest grandchild in that bloodline! Many of my first cousins are older than my mom and I am sure I have more than a few great nephews and nieces … Very interesting fact: My grand mother was my grandfathers great niece :P

I never considered that I was part of one of those big happy families. For the most part my experience has been of a small close family. I realize I come from a crazy family and it does not surprise me at all. Its hard to realize how close to my blood this family is and how far we are appart just from how life is and the paths we take.

I am glad y am part of an unconventional happy family spawning back generations I cant even begin to imagine!

Guerra!