Friday, December 10, 2010

A little bit of paz

Last night, after Sidnei picked me up from school, we decided to stop at this little bar that also grills meat. It was deadly hot and we just wanted to sit somewhere with a slight breeze and drink an ice cold coke with our porção mista (a plate with assorted types of grilled meats). It was really great. The breeze started to blow, warning of the rain that was soon to come, and lucky us, a band was setting up to play ao vivo(live). Of course I say band, but really it was two guys with two acoustic guitars, an amp, and a microphone doing covers. And really, they were good. Not great, but good.

However, as I was sitting there, I had this realization that if I left Brazil, this is exactly would I miss. The hot summer days cooled by a summer night breeze (a little anyway), little bars, the good and simple food, a bottle of coke, a little bit of music, my feet up and my man by my side. Completely, 100% relaxed. I wanted to take a picture, so I would always remember that night, the way that I felt right then...but it was just too good to get up. So I stayed, I enjoyed, and after almost 3 hours the skies parted, the rain fell, we ran to our car, and went home.

Things that were once so new are now common. And though, I don't feel this way every day, I am so grateful for moments like last night. To be able to feel at peace with where I'm at. Even so much so, that I even loved the bright yellow plastic tables.

12 comments:

Unknown said...

Really happy you could find the joy in the simple things! I tooooooooootally understand. 100%. How you can appreciate a cold drink and a cool breeze as being so valuable... it's a really nice feeling.
:)

Laural Out Loud said...

This is why I know I'll be okay once we move to Brazil for good! There are some really wonderfully fantastic things there that you just can't recreate in the States, and I'm so lucky to have experienced them. And I'm sure I have even more coming, once I call Brazil home.

Whitney said...

Loved this post! Glad to see you happy and enjoying life.

Ballerina Girl said...

Stephanie
I am so happy to read this post...
I know that everything is not always rosy when living outside of one's comfort zone (like your OWN country!), but to read this post, it shows me that you have taken a step towards the other beautiful side of living outisde the US...
the pace is lovely, and the perks are really a treasure. No one can tell you this or make you feel it...it just happens one day, or evening like it happened to you!

Enjoy the holidays
BG

Lisa said...

The simple things are the best! So glad you are finding your place and enjoying it.

Lisa Q

Leo said...

Feels so good doesn't it, to relish those live in the moment moments. I try to increase their frequency by making my Brazilian experience rare. By that I mean, I forcibly think about how little time I have until I leave, and how important it is to cherish the small moments that we have. I suppose this is the secret to giving things value, both here and in life in general. Great post.

Ben said...

Made me so jealous - can't wait to return and enjoy some of those simple moments....

Anonymous said...

Hey, girl, that's what the rest of us call VACATION! And you can still go on vacation when you get back to the US.

markuza said...

Aw, that's so sweet! I can particularly relate to the bit about wanting to capture the moment in a photo- I've deliberately _not_ done that on a few occasions in my life, and while it would be nice to have the photo, I certainly have not forgotten the moments. Probably better as just a memory.

Laura said...

This really makes me smile. I'm so glad that you are finding true happiness with what you have :) Gotta love those yellow tables!

Elena B. said...

:) So glad you had one of those moments where you were able to pause and enjoy your life there!

Nina said...

I totally agree with you. The cute little bars and peaceful moments. Sometimes I think in the U.S., we just struggle to much to find that. Here it something we get with the slower pace of things.