I love walking to work. I drive part of the way and then leave my car a few blocks away from the traffic jams and crowded and expensive parking lots; I listen to music and take pictures. Believe it or not, I still manage to arrive one hour early to my office.

After parking my car I walk in front of a construction site, and once every couple of weeks I get to hear the not so decent flirtatious comment from the workers.

Then I pass by a coffee shop that smells like heaven every morning. Coffee and bread have been recently made and you can drool at the sight of the cakes that are being taken out of the oven.

Then, the bridge.

I could stay all day on that bridge looking at the river of cars that flows below and the beautiful trees that frame the sight that best describes what Mexico City means to me.

For a long time I’ve known my city in a very shallow way. I’ve dreamt about it, talked about it, read about it and written about it; but after breathing the raw, beautiful, loving reality of my city I’ve decided to just walk it. In this city there’s always a surprise.

Yesterday, for example, during my walk I saw a hummingbird. I love hummingbirds. I thought of trying to get a picture of it with my cell phone, but I just stood there. I was frozen in the middle of the street marveling at this tiny flying miracle in front of me. Five seconds, that seemed like hours inside my bubble of amazement, passed by and the bird flew away. I kept walking, wishing I could grow wings to zip-a-dee-doo-dah the rest of the way to my office.

Please, make my wings flap 90 times per second with your comments and thoughts.

See more posts by Emma Sifuentes

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