Pierced by the Lençóis

São Luís, Maranhão, Brazil — June 27, 2025

I am still trying to decipher the whirlwind of sensations after being pierced through by the Lençóis Maranhenses. The most vivid feeling is, without a doubt, a radiant glow. Perhaps the result of all the rays of Sun I took in while digging my heels into the dunes, running like a child across the fine sand, plunging whole and clumsily into the freshwater lagoons, and contemplating, almost in reverence, the heat of that star.

Even from 150 million kilometers away, the Sun radiates a relentless force over us, generating all the life we know here. I feel charged with that vitality, wanting, like the Sun, to spread it to anyone who dares come close. I break the city’s icy anonymity by throwing warm good mornings at strangers. I interrupt the peaceful silence of the mornings—and again of the nights—by playing the delicious agony of love songs. I dispel the sad apathy by rekindling the hope of falling in love.

It was not only the Sun that recharged our batteries, but also the presence of the people with whom I shared every challenge and achievement. There, among dunes, lagoons, and people, we realized that leaving our comfort zone—doing what is hard, facing fear—is the path to feeling the fullness of being human.

Reaping the fruits of so much effort, I feel stronger than ever. I want to prove to myself and to everyone that we are capable of accomplishing anything we truly dedicate ourselves to. After all, if there is no time to live fully now, when will there be time to live again?