Hello! There’s a famous saying that it takes 21 days to form a habit- Well, I’m on my 21st day- I guess time will only tell from here! I’m currently writing at 1 a.m this Tuesday morning. Now it’s starting to feel mechanical to just write, no matter what time of the day it is- so that’s a good habit that I’m starting to feel.
I also wanted to tell you a little behind the scenes of my routine in preparing to write to you every day…Sooo, 1-2 days prior, I browse through my folder with random pieces of my work that I feel have potential in talking about. I skim through these photos and try to take myself back to that place in time…Sometimes, I seem to like the photos more than the backstory, so I don’t write about them or put them aside for the time being. One of the tasks that I’ve given myself during quarantine o’ clock is organizing and backing up all of my files. It’s boring and tedious, but I have to do it. As I am organizing, I sometimes come across misplaced files and when I see them, I know that it’s the one I want to write about next. Today’s story is about a random day of visiting Mom and Dad with Brian and Wade.
Just because Mom and Dad are not here physically doesn’t mean that they’re not still a big part of my life and decision- making. In fact, they are very well alive in that sense. The more I write about my family, the more I believe that all of us as one were a unique family. And I think that’s why I enjoy writing about them so much. For the most part, they are the happy part of my day.
Ok, so back to Brian and Wade- It was Summer of 2019 and I had recently told my brothers that it was time to sell Dad’s BMW. Uncle Rolly, my dad’s next oldest brother, has been the owner of this car since 2016 and has taken great care of it….But just like every other car, at some point, it just kept breaking down- One headache after the other. Thankfully, he sold the car to his best friend, Nestor, who is also a mechanic and knew my dad quite well. This made it easier for us to emotionally let go of the car for someone else.
I told both brothers that if they wanted to see the car for one last time, to visit me soon. So, one morning, I drove the BMW to Forest Lawn in Covina and met Brian and Wade. I took this opportunity to bring my camera and snap a few photos of our routine when we visit our parents…Typically, we rotate with who brings flowers…That day, I had brought the flowers, so I handed them over to Brian for him to trim and fill up with water, while I hung out with Wade. Brian and I caught up with life for a little bit, and then I followed Wade, while Brian sat back to catch up with Mom and Dad. Few minutes later, he finds us wandering around the green grass nearby- That’s our sign that it’s my turn to say hi to Mom and Dad. I then told Dad about the car and was told to tell him by Uncle Rolly that “it’ll be in better hands now.” Sometimes when we visit, we both stay with Mom and Dad together and exchange stories about them. Each visit is a different story.
I later gave Brian the car keys and drove away with the BMW for one last joy ride. In the meantime, I hung out with Nephew and told him about my day (not that it mattered to him at his age). Before splitting off, I took a few photos of the two of them in front of the car and inside the car while Brian makes car- racing noises for Wade, pretending like they’re really driving. After that, I told Brian that there’s spam and eggs at the house, so he followed me back to my house to have breakfast.
The End.
Justin, Brian, and Wade