New Life

Here in the Bajio, the seasons have changed. When a person lives in the tropics you find out the first year there are only two seasons...wet and dry. Each lasting about six months with the dry season from November until April and the wet season from April until November. Temperatures stay pretty much consistent all year. You only need one type of clothing.

Well the wet season began for us this week. For the past two or three weeks the humidity had begun rising (one could smell the moisture in the air) and clouds began building up in the sky, but no rain. One Friday night we had a "thunder" storm, no rain just... thunder.

Monday, April 14th, the rains finally arrived. A heavy rain with lots of thunder and lightening. Our power went off 6 or 8 times, once for about 30 minutes. It seems to me that our new country has not learned the "art" of keeping electricity flowing during a thunder storm. It rained again Tuesday and Wednesday night, but minus the electrical outage. I thought I could hear the plants and trees singing as it rained and washed the dust from their leaves. We can now expect rain showers almost daily until October. We are very relieved. The air had become heavy with dust the past few months as no rain had fallen to clear the air and the farmers in the area have been plowing their fields. Now the air is clean again. Our sinuses are not so swollen.

In our yard we have been busy planting. We've planted vegetables, herbs (hierbas) and flowers. Ours is a small yard, but looks like a park. We planted both seeds and plants. We planted various peppers, chiles, onions, jicama, black-eyed peas, green peas, luffa sponge gourd, gourds, epazote, parsely, sage, rosemary and thyme. Well not actually sage yet, since we have been unable to find any so far but we did plant the rest of the song.

We planted mint, ferns and thyme along with very dainty plants of tiny blue flowers and beautiful red flowers with yellow centers on the back rock wall.

Around the fountain we planted basil, echinacea, fennel, anise, cumin, wormwood and cilantro. We planted pansies, lavender, mandavilla, sunflowers, butterfly flowers, nasturtium, geraniums and others of which I do not know their names (one is a bush with white bell like flowers with red in the center) but very beautiful.

Our fruit trees are loaded with apples, peaches, plums and fig, and the raspberries are still blooming. My wife has planted about 10 new rose bushes in addition to the many already planted in the yard. She told me this week, one established rose bush has 30 buds and flowers on it.

Birds and butterflies are our friends here and the birds sing joyfully. We have two canaries that sing like angels and we hang their cage from the willow tree, in our front yard, each day. In the afternoons, while they sing away, sparrows and other birds will come and sit on their cage singing and eat the seeds from the ground which the canaries will toss out. The herons and egrets have finished building their nests and we watch as they circle the air in search for food. A rabbit comes each morning by our house and runs in and out of the raspberry bushes. Of course this activity drives our beagles nuts as they watch from the second floor deck. The sheep who graze on the grass out front of our fence have not returned yet this year. Soon, the shepard boys will bring their flocks down the road to let their sheep graze in front of our house.

Roosters, braying donkeys and singing birds awaken us every morning singing the sun to rise.

The reason I write this is to show people that you can change your life. Both my wife and I had very stressful jobs, in an extremely stressful city (Phoenix) and we broke free. People choose their lives. You choose to be happy or unhappy, you choose to work in a stressful job or not, you choose whether to enjoy singing birds and floating butterflies or not, you choose what your reaction is to the weather, you choose whether you will be controlled by others or live your own life and by your choices you choose to live a healthful life or not. They are all your choices. You cannot blame others for your situation.

You are where you are because you choose to be in that situation. If you are unhappy, change it.

My wife and I made our choice and it was to get off the treadmill which seemed to be running faster and faster. People are struggling to keep up with the moving treads and are afraid of being thrown off and landing on the hard ground. With effort and calm spirit you can seek the answers which are right for you, but it takes effort to calm the mind and spirit so answers can come to you. No one answer is right for everyone. We are all made up differently and what works for us may not work for another person. You have to find your own answers. What I challenge everyone to do is connect again with spirit and earth. To see daily the wonderfulness that is the earth and the beautiful world around us. Give thanks. Find peace. Learn to trust again. Be calm for that is where the answers lay.

Sshhh! Listen! Can you hear it? Can you hear your spirit quietly talking with you? Do you listen to your dreams in the dream world? Can you even remember your dreams? Can you hear the soft beating of the heart of earth? Can you hear the birds singing with joy, the rooster crowing to awaken the world, the donkeys braying, a happy puppy yipping with complete unabandoned joy as it runs? Do you hear?

Can you see it? Do see the honeybee on the peach blossom? The earthworm in freshly dug soil as you plant your flowers? The hawk circling lazily in the deep blue sky? A rainbow? The clouds forming pictures for your enjoyment and interpretation? The sunset in all it's gloriful colors? Do you see?

Can you feel it? Can you feel the joy of waking up with the sun shining through the open window? Can you feel the breeze as it gently blows the window sheers and softly brushes your face? Can you feel the wetness of the soil as you dig to plant? Do you feel the love and affection a dog willingly gives for the chance to sit in your lap? Can you feel the peacefulness of the forested mountains? Do you feel?

Can you smell it? Can you smell the sweet fragrance of the apple blossoms? Or blooming honey suckle? Can you smell the fragrance of rich soil after a rain? Have you ever smelled the desert after a rain with its rich chapparal/creosote fragrance? You'll never forget it! The smell of fresh sheets as you lay down at night? Do you smell?

Can you taste it? Can you taste the sweetness of healthy water? The sweetness of a juicy blackberry? The soothing effect of comfort food? The taste of fresh mint or lemon balm, or fresh limeade? Can you make the time to taste? Do you taste?

These are all part of daily living. It will not cause you to give up time, but will help make time. Be aware of all the beauty, majick and joys of this world. Don't miss it! If you can/or will do these things, you will be living your life in tune with nature, in harmony. This is the way it was intended for us to live. If you can do this, you will have a happier, healthier and more appreciative life.