REFLECTIONS 1971-2023
Written by Jason Ventura (VENIEN)
"1971 was the year I incarnated into the city by the bay San Francisco. Reflection into the past has its place in our own experience, I have been on a path of rediscovery, for my broken thoughts have haunted my soul & are in need of some closure.
Times of joy & love are cherished, & I do miss those that were part of my life through it all. The childhood negative attachments I believe are not part of my experience anymore. I will say, fond memories mixed with traumatic ones only have me asking, was it all part of some plan? In the end it doesn't matter, so I tend to reflect on the love & positive aspects of the experience, or at least try.
To all those I knew, family & friends, those that more specifically remember the 70's in the Mission District of S.F., I found a photo online of the neighborhood where my family lived on Capp Street, & it felt like it was from another lifetime. The house my father grew up in was exactly like the ones in the photo, a distinct memory that will forever be part of who I am. I can only say, that house was the catalyst that led me to question life in my adolescent years in some way.
Reflecting on the past helps, but it really helps to seek stability and peace in the present. My brother, sisters, & my children are heavy on my mind these days. Ever since we lost our grandparents, our mother, & then our father, it has been a struggle for me to cope with so many I loved gone now, & those in my life that are estranged. I can only hope everyone I knew will forgive me in the end, & reflect on the better days I gave them.
I've tried my best to do the right thing by those that matter, even those I never knew. It's been a struggle to let go, but I have to go within to fix the things that are broken first before I can try to mend everything else that is broken in my lifetime.
I thought I would share my thoughts, I hope I will never forget"
V