Light in Miami

A few days in Miami fill me with delight. I look out the window and what do I see? Everything alive with color, the sky and the sea two jewels of blue, refreshing and soothing. The palms, with green and yellow fingers waving in the breeze, and hot pink bougainvillea bursting with their fruity shade. So many memories this city holds. Today, it hosts yet another afternoon to treasure far into the future.

At the Eden Roc Hotel and Spa in Miami Beach, I sit on their boardwalk cafe and see the people breezing by, heads bobbing arms swinging, and on the sand in the distance, enormous umbrellas mingle with tanned happy bodies. It’s a brilliant Sunday afternoon and everyone is at the beach, including Mom and us kids. I order a burger and frozen mojito to kick start the celebration. It’s icy and minty and rushes to my head after the first few sips, making me giggly and my shoulders lose. I dig into the burger; it’s juicy and hot off the grill, and sits on a bun that’s soft and chewy, the ideal ratio of bread to beef. In the meantime, the fries are thin and delicate, and beautifully golden.

These are the moments that are worth remembering. When life, in its simplicity, opens itself up and we must take it all in, every taste, every sight, every fragment of the conversation which is full of light, like the day, even the man in a hawaiian shirt who sings Bob Marley out of tune.