Ricardo Arias

Today I was in Mexico again. I used my aunt's old car to visit my uncle Ricardo. He got out of jail two years ago after serving eight years for alcohol related charges. He's been an alcoholic most of his life. I remember sitting in an old van, listening to The Beatles while he was completely wasted. When I got out of the car, I saw his huge drunken grin greeting me. He hugged me and reminisced about when we lived in a one bedroom apartment on a hill. He was drunk, but somewhat conscious. We sat down and played Led Zeppelin covers on old guitars and laughed at old stories. Seeing him like this doesn't make me as sad anymore. He's an adult; he chose this. At least he's out of harm's way right now and keeping out of trouble. He's a good guy. He really is. I wish people would stop trying to change him and structure him. I'm concerned about him too, but who are we to be so imposing? He seems happy. He's working, he's got a decent place, and he's still playing music. He's one of my inspirations. I wish people weren't as concerned with correcting others before correcting themselves