In April this year, this blog, a pioneer in the Northeast, became an adult. Turn 18 years old. Your daily updates, which give me 1.5 million hits per month, fill me with pride. But they give me a terrible time! Honestly, I don’t know how I can handle my day-to-day routine.
That’s why, since I migrated from print to online journalism, I only stop once a year: during the four days of Carnival. From this text, which I post as a farewell until Ash Wednesday, I am left upside down.
I’ve played at many carnivals, with samba on my feet, a smile on my face and glitter on my skin. Carnival is only once a year and for those who like it, it has to be enjoyed and valued! To those who take to the streets, make the most of it, but do so responsibly. At Carnival, the weather forecast is rain of confetti, sunshine of joy and a 100% chance of fun.
Put on your costume and join the festivities. It’s Carnival! Carnival is the art of being happy and making the world smile. The cure for many people’s sadness. Who said happiness can’t be bought? Buy an abadá and join Carnival! I’ve read that joy prevents a thousand evils and prolongs life. Carnival is the time when souls are freed and dreams come true through colorful costumes.
I’m happy the way I am, I’ve never changed my routine because of what others demand of me. While many brake, I rest, seek nature, peace, a good book. Carnival, for those who stay away from it, is also a time for reflection. I have nothing to complain about in life, after facing such storms. Therefore, today I make a toast to everything, I thank God. It’s good to live because living means always starting, every moment.
My loves are my children, Nayla and my two stepdaughters. For me, that’s enough. As Toquinho sings, if love is fantasy, I find myself lately in the middle of carnival. To those who ask me about love and happiness, I answer: it is much better to live without happiness than without love. Living for the pleasure of living.
Those who live with love do not age their soul, they see poetry and romanticism in a simple reflection of the sun on the water. I turn to Charles Chaplin: “Life is wonderful if you are not afraid of it”. And I conform to Fernando Pessoa: “Sometimes I hear the wind passing by; and just hearing the wind pass by makes it worth being born.”
Gandhi said that happiness is not in living, but in knowing how to live. The one who lives the most no longer lives, but the one who lives the best.
Happy Carnival and see you Wednesday!