Lest I misrepresent things due to how alive and good I am feeling, down here, I must talk also about the less fun parts. As well as what I do to make them more palatable.

So HERE is a little bit about my bathroom situation.

Also, there are ants. BIG ants. Really powerful ants. Check out this plastic bag left out overnight!

Contrasts. Comfort. Less comfort. I guess we get to choose what we can live with - and what we can't fully live without.

Since I have been here, I have been amazed at the amount of dogs I meet whose name is Ben.

Today, I was talking with a gentleman whose dog's name was also Ben.

Except it was not.

Her name is Bella.

"Venn” - pronounced "ben" means ... come! 

(This is Bella)

We have been here two weeks, Lila-the-pup and I.
Years in the making, I am in Mexico for an undetermined amount of time.

It took some work, perseverance, trust, help - and a dash of craziness to get here. And as with most things these days, we must add “in the middle of a pandemic” at the end of this one sentence as well.

But here we are.

Tucked into a tiny yellow-orange cabin surrounded by a small and gentle tropical garden. Most of our hours are spent outside and each day includes a lesson of sorts.

I am learning to cook in a very (very) simple kitchen and I am hoping that Lila will eventually learn to not eat poop on the beach. So far, I am a better student than she is.

I am learning that “I’ll be there in 20 minutes” does not always mean today.

Lila is learning that she is very attractive to Mexican dogs.

I am learning that a vet will see us with 30 minutes notice if we need him to, send us home with just the 6 pills we need wrapped in a little plastic bag and that we will see many chickens on the way to his house. Some of them on roofs.

I am learning that here, pretty much everything has a simple solution.

I am learning that tropical gardening is a bit like cut and paste. Most everything will grow where you plant it, if you water it.

I am learning that VW bugs are not as spacious nor as comfortable as they seemed 30 years ago. Lila is learning that some cars don’t have windows that open in the back. And that she is still up for a ride.

I am learning that choosing an environment that supports whatever Essences we seek is a great Gift to give ourselves. Walking out of my home each day, I am bathed in the Essences of Joy, Life and Beauty. Simplicity, too.

I am learning to cook really good Mexican food, to heat up water to do my dishes, to walk more slowly, to sit longer, to trust time, to breathe more deeply.

I am learning that wherever I am, an idea for a community project will usually find a way to catch me. And that I can take my time birthing it.

There is much more to learn, much to live and breathe in.

A lot of it still is believing that we really, really are here.

Sending you all a big warm hug from over here. I have lots of little stories to tell already and will be uploading them to my YouTube Channel as soon as I get access to faster internet - which may be in 20 minutes, or not today. I will share the recipes I learn, too!

(meanwhile, you can subscribe to it HERE)

Here's to life, living it, staying safe, and sane, and smiling.

XOOX

- Laura