Thoughts and Rambles: May 2010

Sunday, May 23, 2010

i wasn't stuck, after all

Finally, the unfinished business of some personal affairs which kept me here in the USA is coming to an end! I keep itching to get back to Mexico to start my summer there, but 'm still making my way through this great country, visiting... and this is also good.

The months I spent in the USA this year have been good for the soul, deepening the friendships I had already while forging new friendships with some amazing people. Denver was good to me. Even after months there, I continued to be amazed at the acceptance and openness that is Colorado. I'm not a freak there (as I seem to be in Virginia) for my tattoos and piercings and free spirit, perhaps because so many of us in Colorado share the same sentiments. At least in Denver, where I hear we are the most heavily tattooed per capita... (good on us)! The other thing that I am still digesting, besides the fact that one can now buy beer on Sundays, is the forward thinking of the state in decriminalizing marijuana. Though I totally agree, even after months I could not get used to seeing billboards such as these:

...so now Denver really is the Mile High city. ha ha, I crack myself up.

While I've talked about wanting to get to traveling, indeed, these last few months have been full of travels nonetheless. Though not the kind I usually long for - worldwide - I've been blessed to have had issues which took me through places I might not have otherwise seen.

In the last few months, not willing to be kept in one place, I've taken any opportunity to do some local travel and appreciate what's right here at home.

I've witnessed the magic of Garden of the Gods in central Colorado, the full moon against a cerulean sky, a peaceful end to a day of watching rock climbers defy gravity

a weekend on Lake Erie on Catawba Island, reuniting with college friends and taking in the serene quiet of lakeside life.

I've enjoyed exploring New York City

and San Francisco

had a drive through the west, marveling at desert scenery of Arizona

and the grandeur of the red rocks and arches of Utah

and the rockies of Colorado

all this, after my east coast autumn with the colors of fall. I remember:

so... how is it that I've been able to convince myself that I've been "stuck" here in the USA, not traveling? I have been traveling! haha. Once a gypsy, always a gypsy. This blog entry helps remind me that I have definitely not been sitting still. And I've sure been blessed to have spent the last half year exploring my own country and loving it.

Now.... I'm ready to cross some borders again, though. Right now my dreams are of a return to Mexico, land of love, tequila, and beauty, and these images are what I see in those dreams:

So, while appreciating that I did indeed continue my vagabond ways right here at home, I am relishing in the idea that in a week or so I'll be back in Mexico. And then I'll see what comes next...

PHOTOS

All photos in this blog are those I have shot myself (unless, obviously, I am the subject, in which case I will cite the photographer - except for a couple cases where I simply handed the camera to the person next to me to capture me in the moment- unfortunately there are a few of those where I do not know the person's name). I currently use the Panasonic DMC-FZ28. It is a great camera with a quality lens and good portability, and I get really nice shots with it.

It's not the most advanced or powerful camera, and it's not a large fancy SLR, but I've found that the trick to getting a good shot is not always just about the camera. As a photographer I can achieve great shots by keeping in mind composition, angle, and understanding the computer inside the camera and how to manipulate it for what I want in the final shot.

Perhaps one day I'll have my dream camera, but until then, I'm doing alright with a really great "almost SLR".

As you read the blog, enjoy the photos I insert here and there to help you visualize my stories. I have so many more photos, but only so much space for them on this blog.

Life... or Lifestyle?

thank you Allie, for this story, which reminds me of why I tend to feel so frustrated with the traditional American rat race…

There once was a Mexican fisherman who would get up in the morning and go fishing. By lunch time he had caught enough fish for the day and would come home, sell the fish, eat lunch with his wife, spend the afternoon playing with his kids and napping in the shade and in the evenings he would go down to the bar and play music with his friends.

One day he met an American who asked him, "Are there more fish out there that could be caught?"

And the Mexican said, "Yeah, but I catch enough before lunch so I stop fishing and come home."

The American said, "You should fish all day and catch more fish so you could increase your earnings."

The Mexican asked, "And then what would I do?"

"You could then buy another boat and hire another captain and catch twice as many fish and earn twice as much. Then you could start to sell your fish to the large corporations."

And the Mexican asked, "And then what?"

"You would keep adding boats until you had an armada and then you could build your own fish factory and ship your fish world-wide! Then you, of course, wouldn't be able to fish any more, you could move to the US and run the company. You would be making tons of money!"

And the Mexican asked, "What would I do with all that money?"

"You would save it!"

"What would I be saving it for?"

"So one day you could retire, move to a Caribbean island, fish in the morning, eat lunch with your wife, spend the afternoon playing with your grandchildren and napping in the shade and in the evenings you could go down to the bar and play music with your friends!"

And, there's the rub. My mother used to tell a story like this, except it was about an African fisherman (appropriate, as my father is African and this story was a comment on how one can trade the good life for a promise of the good life). Is it the African Connection that draws me to a similar lifestyle in Mexico?

Now I am living with and in the experiences, enjoying each day, and loving the moment.

I shared this sentiment with folks and they say "well, sure, but then there's reality."

Whose reality?

Should I find a way to live, really live, and enjoy and learn and love each day, whether it is in the States or in Mexico or elsewhere, I will always remember to embrace each moment and find a way to enjoy those moments. I refuse to continue on the rat race so that one day I can find my paradise, whatever it may be. I may not have a lot for show, but I love each day, and this is what is really important.

Thoughts and Rambles

Sunday, May 23, 2010

i wasn't stuck, after all

PHOTOS

About Me

Guanajuato, Mexico at sunset

Life... or Lifestyle?

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