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Dear Chocolover,
I came to the United States in 1996. Venezuela still had a democratic government, but the political force that would later take power was already taking shape.
When I opened Románicos in 2001, one of my deepest whys was to build a place with structure enough to welcome someone I loved, should they ever need to flee; a door that would already be open, and a job waiting on the other side of it.
Life had a different plan.
As things in Venezuela grew harder, the door stayed open, and most of the people I built it for could not reach it. Only my younger brother eventually came to work with me, and that happened many years later.
Instead, in those early years, Románicos filled with single mothers whose children are grown now. Over time it filled with families from many different places, who built their lives here.
What was born from my wish to care for my own became a place that cared for many others.
In twenty-five years, one of the lessons I learned the hard way is this: do everything within your power, and then release the outcome.
While we are holding tightly to the hope of one flower, God may be preparing an entire garden.
My hope has always been that everyone who passes through Románicos leaves a better human being than when they arrived. The truth is that I have become better too, because of the many wonderful people who have walked through those doors. They have been my garden.
There is always a silver lining, even in the moments that do not unfold the way we hoped.
When we loosen our grip on a particular outcome, the magic of life finally has room to reveal itself.
I invite you to ask yourself: what is the outcome you need to release?
Perhaps life is preparing something more beautiful than the thing you asked for.
With love,
Alejandra
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