“A tale of broken bars and a piece of Cake”

“The recipe of life comes with occasional doses of alcohol and boosts of sugar but as to when we decide to have it, depends on us.”

Some days ago this girl trying to live the corporate highlife started having attacks of subdued loneliness to which she tried to remedy by working more…Big Mistake! At the end of the day, driving along a student colonized streak, she came across some broken bar where an obscure jazz band played their blues. In the tune of a brass rendered “Cuando, cuando”, this girl nursed her first can of German Oettinger beer by the bar swaying in subtle head movements while closing her eyes in reverie. Somewhere in the middle of gulping her second can and noticing the cute vocalist, she officially declared herself "depressed". Too lazy to figure out whether her malady is hormonal or stress-related, she somehow tried to embrace the perennial feeling. There it goes…how many times in your life do you find comfort in depression and treat it as an adventure? Could it be possible that she’s just plain tired of the familiarity that life brings? Again, she’s way too lazy to even analyze it. When the vocalist tried to walk her up for what appeared to her as a desperate small talk (given that the place is populated by measly three people), she knew in her heart how much she just wants to be alone, just her and her unfamiliar feeling in a seemingly familiar world. Not all the time does she decide to drink by herself or let alone get drunk but speaking in slurs with a handsome gentleman on her work clothes and evident frown isn’t her idea of magic. However, in the spirit of politeness she answered his questions in the most detailed and generous way possible. For some reason, she just can’t believe how Mr. Brass Cutie managed to stay two hours talking with Ms. Corporate Junkie who has a big banner written in her forehead that says: "You’re cute definitely but I wanna be alone”Maybe he can just use some chat while waiting for his band mate’s pack-up their colossal cellos and trumpets. Her mind kept traveling to the streets of Cuba where she wanted to dance salsa with Latinos however at that moment all she has is a broken bar, her can of Oettinger(which at that time she needs to save for the road) and a forthcoming memory of talking with a jazz derrière. She called it a night. He called it closing time.

So the night ends and dawn is nearing, in a couple of hours she would need to wake up to continue her journey to depression. Does she even want a cure? Oh yes! Depression can only be embraced for so long. She decides to wake up and with the lack of words to describe it, be happy. Oh yeah, it’s a weekday and another workday. Finishing her morning tasks after a hearty breakfast, she remembers how she’s wanted to try a certain piece of pie in a cozy coffee joint she’s noticed on her way to work. So it goes…she orders the shop’s specialty pie with a dose of cold caffeine rush and voila! Happiness in a piece of cake! Endorphins with the slight regret of not making the most out of a possible encuentro with Mr. Brass cutie fell all over her. It would’ve been great if she had that pie last night but cliché as it may sound, indeed everything happens for a reason. While staring in straight contemplation a message appeared on her phone that says: “It was that deep thought you had in your eyes last night that made me write a song this morning. It’s Darren by the way and I was singing to you on your sullen mood in that bar”.

What is your piece of pie? Happiness is so simple and free but loneliness is often necessary. The recipe of life comes with occasional doses of alcohol and boosts of sugar but as to when we decide to have it, depends on us. Another learning from her experience is that life in parts is about embracing every feeling that keeps your heart away from the curse of familiarity. It’s the different hormonal rushes in your vein, the dramatic encounters with life’s paradoxes, the “would be’s” than the “could’ve beens”, the weather change, kaleidoscopic people and the varied substances that caress your taste buds every now and then that the heavens send us in droplets to keep us alive. Never miss out on every lesson and reason that goes along with it. Don’t be scared of that broken bar as you could be assured that sugary sweet pies are everywhere for your helping and when you get it, don’t forget to indulge!"