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Minh Tran

@mqtran

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friday, may 30th, 2025 i lost my best friend

my boy, my big dawg, my brother

carl was the kind of human that was deeply authentic, grounded, and a force. bursting full of life, he showed me how to live, to strive, to dig deep, to fight.

he always had that look in his eyes when he dug deep.

he saw something no one else could when he pushed himself.

he saw that in others around him too.

and when we did our best, his eyes, his heart lit up like wildfire for us.

while he was so pragmatic, underneath it all, he was a dreamer.

he fought for those dreams, made all of them come true.

he leaves a fire in me to hold so gently, to strive, to fight, to dream.

that’s what he wanted for all of us by @mqtran

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a year ago

2025 brought me a grief that flipped my life upside down

even now it’s sometimes hard to find my way out

it comes in waves, they say
it’ll get easier, they say
grief shapes you, they say

but they also say, grief is a sign of a deep love

the sadness of losing two dear friends, one like a brother to me, with both of them we shared a disdain, an ennui that sometimes led us to the end of our rope

both carl and jon strove — because they knew what was at the end. and because they knew it, the best thing to do was to strive to love deeply and live fully

they toiled over it, even if it tortured them at times

the sadness of losing them is a beauty of its own. i can’t look at rainbows, butterflies, sunsets, anything, without thinking that they’re here with us still

i feel so deeply now, so much that it makes me keel over

i cry at everything now

because my heart aches for beautiful things, painful things, meaningful things

to realize grief another form of love, i hope it lets me understand how to love more deeply

with grief, comes the fear of change — and it requires us to be radically present. to realize that we have to let go of the future we thought would be

a world without loved ones lost? in being present we navigate, we realize, no, no one can take their love away from us

in being present with grief, i know that on the other side, is an even deeper love

for all the moments with my friends, my family, for the future by @mqtran

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9 months ago

there were days this summer where i felt everything. and there were days where i felt nothing at all

the days broke me down — my feelings were so complicated. nothing about feelings are ever simple or easy. i held so much anger for feeling robbed

the time i had with loved ones, will now pale with time

i just wanted to hold on to them and yet time goes on

in trying to hold on to the past, i’d been too available when i should’ve let myself grieve

to honor them, honor myself, and honor the time we have left by taking no shit from anything less than the kind of love we deserve

here’s to showing up for the friends that show up for you and giving yourself the grace to heal by @mqtran

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a year ago

q1 recap✨

when i was in high school i admired skate culture. i ordered those ccs mags, fell in love with graphic design drawing from skate and snowboard decks

i was awful at it. i tried so hard to learn after school but could only manage rolling around town. i was for all intents and purposes at the time, a pOsEr — i loved the art, music, the culture of dissent. but most importantly, it kept the memory of one of my best friends then alive

i remember skating around her neighborhood, tryin to keep up. she’d tell me of her snowboarding trips with her family and i’d just tell her, “i wish i could learn someday”

fast forward 20 years and i find myself finally on the mountain, trying to keep up with my friends. falling a lot, but im here

glad to have stepped away from climbing a bit since i got back from rocklands this year. investing in something new and eating shit in the process, has been grounding me into my body. something i needed, to come back to climbing with new eyes

i’m just glad to have thrown myself down the mountain to learn so i can experience it all with the people that i love. i didn’t think it’d ever be possible as a kid, but snowboarding is slowly becoming something i can call my own.

lest we forget, the sociopolitical state is shit. we’re fighting the oligarchy, we’re educating ourselves on our rights, we’re putting our money where our values are, and we’re still making time to fuck around and find out

and i’m finally settling into the fact that, climbing while once treated as a means to an end, ain’t shit when you realize we’re comparing our performance and progress based on the average 6‘ white males establishing boulders in colorado

but i’m feeling stronger than i ever thought id be at 37

✔️out the cut by @mqtran

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2 years ago

we lost our grandparents pretty young, i had no idea what loss felt like. they were simply gone. i lost one of my best friends in my freshman year of high school from an unknown disease, i felt devastation when i first felt like i never had the chance to say goodbye. i lost my best friends sister to a car crash. i felt my heart wrenching for a future that never came to be.

i watched as they grieved, i watched as the people i loved around me, lose themselves.

i had a revolving door of friends — those who lied about their intentions, cheated, and stole from me. i lost trust, and that fear made me feel deeply alone.

afraid to let others in, i lost touch with what i wanted and only focused on what i didn’t want. i was hurt. and i hurt others. i created my own path to hell. i lost myself, afraid to open up to others.

it took me 20 years to look back on all of this to see that i’ve been fighting this entire time. fighting against the continuous spiral of loss, abandonment, and pain every single day. and i don’t think ive ever appreciated myself for fighting it.

but it’s clear to me now that what ive fought for has become the thing that ive always wanted. it’s the life that ive dreamed of, with the people i let in to my own flavor of chaos and they’ve let me into theirs. and i love them so deeply because of it

today i can say with certainty, im not alone.

let’s fuck up 2025. by @mqtran

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2 years ago

into the light

to yeet or not to yeet, there was no question taken in Rocklands, Western Cape, South Africa by @mqtran

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2 years ago

big lil lies

cool lil bop taken in Rocklands, Western Cape, South Africa by @mqtran

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2 years ago

nutsa

another one off the life list taken in Rocklands, Western Cape, South Africa by @mqtran

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2 years ago

amphitheater

the most satisfying pinch in rocklands? taken in Rocklands, Western Cape, South Africa by @mqtran

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2 years ago

eye of sauron

hands down, one of the best taken in Biedouw Valley by @mqtran

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2 years ago

last day in paradise

grateful for sunset sends taken in Rocklands, Western Cape, South Africa by @mqtran

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2 years ago

i could write a lot, i could write a little about my trip to rocklands

either way, i hope you find the space to know and unknow the things you love 🖤 taken in Rocklands, Western Cape, South Africa by @mqtran

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2 years ago