Lete Griziotti

Author bio

Hi, I’m Lete — yes, like the famous Italian mineral water. Not Letizia, not Leda, just Lete. You’d think having a name like mine would make me memorable, but most people just assume my parents were fans of sparkling water. Spoiler alert: they weren’t. I’m 40, Italian, and work as a network designer at a telecommunications company. Now, before you start imagining me as some high-tech genius designing cutting-edge technology, let’s clear that up. “Network designer” sounds fancy, but in reality, I’m just another employee, doing my 9-to-5, wondering how I ended up here. Growing up, I didn’t exactly have the most traditional upbringing. My parents were... let’s say, “enthusiastic” about their alcohol consumption. While some kids were learning the alphabet, I was learning how to tiptoe around the minefield of a dysfunctional family. Let’s just say I got really good at reading a room. I was the peacemaker, the invisible glue holding together a house of cards built on shaky ground. It was like living in a never-ending soap opera, but without the commercial breaks. In school, I was that kid always daydreaming out the window, imagining a life far, far away from the chaos at home. I was never the best student, but I was the most creative when it came to making up excuses for why my homework wasn’t done. I had a talent for spinning stories — a talent that, unfortunately, didn’t quite translate into a lucrative career. Fast forward a few decades, and here I am, in a cubicle, staring at screens full of data that mean absolutely nothing to me. Some days, I wonder how I ended up designing networks. Most days, I just wonder what would happen if I spilled my coffee on my keyboard and called it a day. I’m always restless, always looking for something more, something different, something that feels like it has a pulse. I’ve tried everything from pottery to improv comedy (trust me, I’m no natural), but nothing seems to stick. Despite the monotony, I can’t help but find humor in the absurdity of it all. There’s something almost poetic about spending your life building networks for people to connect when you often feel disconnected from your own life. I’m always searching for that next opportunity, that next adventure that will make me feel alive, that will make my heart race like it used to when I was a kid dreaming of escape. Maybe I’m chasing a ghost, or maybe I’m just trying to find a place where I feel like I truly belong. But here’s the thing: even in the most mundane moments, there’s a spark of something — a potential, a possibility, a hope. I’ve learned that life doesn’t always give you the perfect set-up. Sometimes, it hands you a dysfunctional family and a job that makes you question your existence. But it also gives you the chance to rewrite your own story, one page at a time, even if those pages are filled with crossed-out words and question marks. So, that’s me, Lete. Not the water, but just as unpredictable. I’m still figuring things out, still dreaming, still restless. And maybe that’s okay. After all, the journey isn’t about finding the perfect ending; it’s about having the courage to keep writing, no matter how messy the story gets.