The day’s first light painted Galveston in soft hues as we began Adi’s birthday—her first on this storied island. Nine months had passed since we arrived, drawn by the promise of community and a fresh start. We found both. The walking club began as an idea, a simple way to mark her 38th year, and turned into a gathering of friends seeking the same warmth. Each Monday evening, we meet by the Spot on the Seawall, embarking on our path to Miller’s. The beach calls us back for Adi’s true celebration—a bonfire with hotdogs, s’mores, and cheerful pops of freeze-dried ice cream sandwiches and Lollipop sodas. The spirit of the Grand Galvez lingered with us from the morning, its echoes of grandeur threading through our day like a Parisian salon from another era.
We sat there, Adi and I, wrapped in the Galvez’s embrace, sharing an omelet as old as the world seemed. Bacon and cheddar mingled with early light and laughter, speaking of times past and times yet to come. Birthdays, after all, invite reflection—a pause to thank fate’s whimsical pathway that led us here. As waves kissed the shore, we pondered the Vedic New Year and its heralding of Aries, the restart of the stars and ourselves. Life teaches resilience. Knocked down, you stand again, and so we have, aligned now with the true rhythm of things. In the evening, guests arrived by the dozens, forming small knots of laughter and curiosity on the sand, around our fire. Adi stood, a radiant soul greeting a new year with the joy of living, as the Gulf sang its own quiet song of community, friendship, connection. This, truly, is what binds us all.
Catch this week’s Galveston Dispatch: Tales from the Gulf Sunday Night at 7 PM (CST)