My Journey Continued

I have decided to extend my stay in Mexico for three more months.  I rented a new place and hope that it will be a nest for me to grow and continue on my journey.  The owners are artists and have rejected the traditional Mexican decor.  Instead, they have opted for white walls and pops of color.  I looked at a few places, some in Centro and a couple farther out, even one in the country.  It came down to two places, both over my budget but both fantastic in different ways.  One I like to call shabby chic meets Mexico meets Grandma.  The other...my new place...I like to call Bollywood meets Mexico.  It is cozy and has a view of the city.  I even got a little tin nativity for Feliz Navidad.  It is my hope that three more months without all of the things I think I can't live without, time to think and meditate will nurture my soul,  will help me to learn to live simply and send me off into a wonderful new direction.

It may be cliche to quote from the movie Eat Pray Love, but here I go...
"In the end, I've come to believe in something I call the physics of the quest.  A force in nature governed by laws as real as the laws of gravity.  The rule of quest physics goes something like this...If you are brave enough to leave behind everything familiar and comforting, which can be anything from your house to bitter old resentments and set out on a truth seeking journey, either externally or internally, and if you are truly willing to regard everything that happens to you on that journey as a clue, and if you accept everyone you meet along the way as a teacher, and if you are prepared, most of all, to face and forgive some very difficult realities about yourself, then the truth will not be withheld from you."

Mis Amigas

Thursday night I encountered machismo for the first time, which pretty much left me in a puddle of my own tears.  Like any good girlfriend would do, Kasia gave me a hug and wiped my tears away.  Then she called me Friday morning and convinced me it was a good idea to go to nia dance class with her.  Upon arriving at our designated meeting spot, halfway between her casa and mine, we came upon a children's parade.  The ninos were dressed in period attire and were too cute to resist.  So I blew off the dance class to watch the kids and take some pics...It was just what my soul needed.

With Thanksgiving this week, I am thankful for all of mis amigas.  As I sit here with my tummy full of shrimp and chardonnay, I look at these photos and think just how blessed I am for my friends, for my mom's friends, for my life.  The children here are pretty shy, if they catch your glance they look away.  The smiles, the confetti, the costumes and the children holding hands all remind me of mis bonita amigas.

South of the Border

Rebecca Peterson parallels traveling south to San Miguel as a journey towards our inner self, closer to the soul.  Being here for a month now, I feel so open and aware.  I feel God in the wind and on my face.  The colors I see everyday, the mothers who hold their babies so close, the shy smile of a child...even in a different language, we all know these are beautiful things.

My Darling Kasia

Sorry all, it's been a few days since my last post.  I have met so many vivacious, creative women here in San Miguel.  I started knitting with Kathy, I have a Spanish tutor Lilia, I stumbled upon an amazing group of women from New Mexico who were here visiting.  Last Saturday, I went to an art therapy workshop called 'windows to the soul' and met Kasia.  Like me, she felt a calling to come here.  Kasia is a beautiful woman, full of life and very centered.  She radiates positive energy and is helping me to be present in every moment.  Over the last week, we have laughed until we cried and we have done some crying too.  I truly believe that we were put here together at the same time for a reason.  I am not sure quite where my journey is taking me, but I am confident that it's going to end well.