Hay momentos que dejan huella y son muy significativos, muchas veces vivimos los momentos sin pensar en los valiosos que son. A medida que maduramos nos damos cuenta de ello, porque cambia nuestra percepción de ver la vida. Quizás cuando somos niños, adolescentes y jóvenes solo los vemos como parte de una etapa, pero luego, nos damos cuenta que justamente esos instantes que parecen ser triviales, son más importantes de lo que pensamos, y es por ello que los rememoramos y deseamos volver a vivirlos “que tiempos aquellos”, solemos decir.

Valoro mucho aquellos tiempos cuando mis padres, mi hermano y mi abuela nos reuníamos en casa para ver películas. Era muy emocionante estar todos juntos y compartir risas y opiniones. Las salidas a la playa en familia también forman parte de esas gratas anécdotas, nos íbamos todos a visitar a la abuela, encontrarnos con los primos y ponernos a día por el tiempo que no nos veíamos nos hacía muy felices. La playa siempre ha sido un grato recuerdo para nosotros, era maravilloso pasar horas bañándonos en el mar y mi mamá se quejaba “si no los llamo no se acuerdan que tienen que venir a comer”, tampoco nos acordábamos de que nos teníamos que ir y mi padre decía “déjalos que disfruten”.

Casi todos los fines de semana compartíamos en familia en la playa, para aumentar la diversión mi hermano y yo llenamos una tripa de caucho que parecía un salvavidas gigante. Era toda una parodia tratar de montarnos los dos y no caernos, imposible parar de reír. Con mi tío siempre nos íbamos a acampar en la playa, una de esas veces que fuimos, el mar estaba infectado de medusas y yo no me quise bañar. Sin embargo, disfruté sentarme en la arena, ver el mar y conversar con la familia de cualquier cosa.

Maravillosos aquellos momentos cuando mi madre experimentaba en la cocina y estábamos a la expectativa de aquella sazón. Nos divertíamos al ver que algunas de esas recetas eran fallidas, pero igual entre risas nos comíamos todo. No obstante, siempre con la promesa de hacerlo mejor la próxima vez.

En mi presente, ahora más que nunca valoro a las personas que me aprecian, su compañía y la mano amiga que me puedan brindar. Con algunos ex compañeros de trabajo intercambiamos videos divertidos por Instagram, me alegra cuando me hacen reír con esa interacción sin decir una palabra, solo con recibir un meme o un video que me saca de manera automática una sonrisa.

There are moments that leave a mark and are very significant, but we often experience them without thinking about how valuable they are. As we mature, we realize this because our perception of life changes. Perhaps when we are children, teenagers, and young adults, we only see them as part of a stage in our lives, but later, we realize that precisely those moments that seem trivial are more important than we think, and that is why we remember them and wish to relive them. “Those were the days,” we often say.

I really cherish those times when my parents, my brother, and my grandmother would gather at home to watch movies. It was so exciting to be together and share laughter and opinions. Family trips to the beach are also part of those fond memories. We would all go to visit my grandmother, meet up with my cousins, and catch up on the time we hadn't seen each other, which made us very happy. The beach has always been a fond memory for us. It was wonderful to spend hours swimming in the sea, and my mom would complain, “If I don't call you, you won't remember that you have to come home for lunch.” We didn't remember that we had to leave, and my dad would say, “Let them enjoy themselves.”

Almost every weekend we would spend time together as a family at the beach. To make it more fun, my brother and I would fill up a rubber tube that looked like a giant life preserver. It was hilarious trying to ride it together without falling off, and we couldn't stop laughing. My uncle always took us camping on the beach. One time when we went, the sea was infested with jellyfish, and I didn't want to go swimming. However, I enjoyed sitting on the sand, looking at the sea, and chatting with my family about anything and everything.

Those moments when my mother experimented in the kitchen and we eagerly awaited the results were wonderful. We had fun seeing that some of those recipes were failures, but we still ate everything with laughter. However, she always promised to do better next time.

In my present life, now more than ever, I value the people who appreciate me, their company, and the helping hand they can offer me. Some former coworkers and I exchange funny videos on Instagram, and it makes me happy when they make me laugh with that interaction without saying a word, just by sending me a meme or a video that automatically brings a smile to my face.