Mexico!

Hola!

I’ve recently returned from a week in beautiful Sayulita, Mexico, where I fell in love with pretty much everything, from fresh corn tortillas to the language and accents.

There’s such Warmth in the way people greet each other.  It really got me thinking about how our environment and consequently our lifestyles are expressed through the way we speak.

In Sayulita, I was outside almost constantly.  I walked everywhere.  My pace was slow enough to accommodate meeting someone on the street on my way to anywhere, and that was always the most important thing in that moment.

This openness and presence is reflected in the fact that people passing each other always look each other warmly in the eye and at least say “Hola”, and usually “Buenos dias/tardes/noches!”  If you know the person, you stop and greet them with hands, hugs, kisses…

I LOVE THIS.  It’s how I love to be.  Bikini and a smile.  Nothing to hide.  No reason to rush; you’ll get there in time.

I live in a Cold environment by comparison.  Not arctic, by any means, but I’m currently wearing a long-sleeve shirt, sweater, wool jacket, pants with leggings under them, wool socks under slipper boots, with my feet on a hot water bottle and a steaming thermos of tea by my side.

It’s cold out there, so I keep myself protected.  Indoors.  And when I’m outside, and every molecule of air is sucking at my body’s heat, a large part of me does not want to stop until I get back inside.

The consonants of Mexican Spanish are soft, the melody gently flowing like a stream, with a good deal of variance in its music, and the energy behind it is warm and (to me) curious.  I love this curiosity.  It’s part of the charm of Mexicans I’ve encountered.Temperature is only part of it.  The Colors and sounds and sensory experience of Sayulita inspires an open, softly sensual sound.

Americans can view that with skepticism, but to me, you’re met with what you give.  If you withhold yourself from your encounters with people, you won’t get much:

“How are you?”
“Good!  You?”
“Good!”
“Good!”

...and we walk away having learned nothing, revealed nothing, gained nothing. But protected ourselves from a perceived energy loss -just like we bundle up from the cold.

What are your thoughts on the subject?

Vibes and openness,
Amy