A Little Birthday: Waffles, Mariachi and Missing Marbella

Today was my birthday, and it began the way the best days in my life tend to begin: early, around a table, with my family.

We went to &Waffles, my kids' favorite breakfast spot. I opened gifts. I had my favorite lavender cake and a lavender latte, and I would like it noted that a birthday is an excellent excuse for cake at any hour. Then we were off, because my birthday this year was also a day of sports.

A Day on the Sidelines

First came my son's baseball game, then my daughter's soccer game, and then a soccer team event at LAFC, where the kids got to go out on the field and wave the flag during the opening ceremonies.

And what a show it was. Kickoff had everything: mariachi, dancing, drumming and fireworks. The 3252, LAFC's supporters group, kept the crowd engaged and on its feet for the entire 90 minutes. LAFC ended up losing 3-1, but the night wasn't over. After the game the kids got to meet some of the players and have their photo taken on the field. That is the kind of memory that outlasts a final score.

The Music That Took Me Home

One of the highlights for me was the music before and after the game, played by an all-female mariachi band called Las Catrinas. They were incredible.

Then something unexpected happened. Standing in a stadium in Los Angeles, listening to those women play, I started to miss Spain. Mariachi is different from flamenco, of course. They come from different places and carry different histories. But hearing one made me long for the other, and suddenly I was homesick for Marbella.

Isn't that the strange thing about living between places? Home can find you anywhere, and it often arrives through your ears.

What I Miss

This little birthday made me reflect on what is important. I have wonderful friends in California, but there is no place like Spain.

I miss the food. I miss the constant laughter, the evening strolls and the siesta. I miss the camaraderie I experience every day with people who are somewhere between strangers and friends.

I miss how easy it feels to eat well there. I don't feel like I have to make a special trip to an organic grocer just to feel good about what's in my kitchen. I can relax and stop worrying about what I am putting into my body on a daily basis, lol.

And I love that I can eat croissants without guilt. Okay, I miss that the most.

The Gift of Dipping In and Out

But as a globalista, I get to dip in and out of places, and California has its own long list of joys.

Here, I get to hang out and hug my friends on Halloween. I get to go hiking with my friend Bri every week. I get to hang out at the spa every other day with my spa girlies. I get to cook delicious dishes with my friend Denise and her mom. I get to hang out and paint at an artist's studio. And I get to pull out my guitar and join in on epic jam sessions.

One place feeds me with croissants and evening strolls. The other feeds me with hugs, hikes and jam sessions. I don't have to choose one forever. I just have to be fully present in whichever one I happen to be standing in.

Soft Living

So that was my birthday: waffles and lavender, baseball and soccer, fireworks and Las Catrinas, a lost game and a very full heart.

It's a beautiful life, and I wish this kind of soft living for everyone.