ingrid

Which is why I have not been updating my blog.  It is hard to remember you see, when your view is this:

This last summer, my dear friend Lynn made the statement that made it all happen.  ”I don’t care when we go— it could be three years from now—we just need to make a plan so that I know that we will go.  I need it to look forward to.”  Lynn, Kristi and I all have three kids.  Devra lives “in a very cold country” (this became something of a joke in Mexico, reiterating that England is indeed “a very cold country”.  Why it is funny stating this fact, I don’t know, but it was.).  We needed things to look forward to.  And so we did it–we booked our Playa del Carmen, Mexico vacation.  Devra in England made all the arrangements.  I began worrying about leaving the kids about an hour after buying my ticket.  It seemed so far away back in September, but February came quickly.

A few things I’ve learned this week.  First of all, I really needed a vacation!  This time was so precious and freeing.  It is so rare for me to have a stretch of time not dominated by children and others’ needs.  It felt good to think of what I wanted versus what everyone else wants.  (Oh!  Woe is me!  Who are these children and why are they calling me mom?).  But really, I am a mother now and although I am not one of those crazy martyr-mothers trying to show the world how great I am by self-sacrificing, care-taking takes a toll.  It is tiring.  It is a bit thankless.  It involves a lot of menial labor and interruptions.  It was good for me, good for Brad to be the primary care giver, and the kids were FINE.

Second, people are lovely.  Mexicans are a special people.  I met some wonderful, kind people who live really interesting lives.  I felt a bit of a disconnect being in a touristy area though.  The people I talked to in the shops and restaurants worked 12 hour days, 6 days a week.  Often their children were with them late at night while they worked.  I am not sure what employment laws Mexico might have, but it appears woefully insufficient for families, and that made me sad.  I felt crappy that anyone would have to bring their tired little kids into a shop late at night just for my convenience.  That didn’t seem right.

I feel recommitted to my whole self after this week.  My friends are all dear to me in sort of different ways, but one thing that they tend to have in common is their interest in emotional and physical health.  We went to a yoga class together that was amazing!  I had never done yoga before and totally would not have gone without friends to bolster me.  I too often make excuses for not doing things because I fear not being good at them.  It is a dumb reason to not try stuff.  I could tell someone else this, but tend to make the same mistake over and over again.  The class was so good, even though I didn’t know sh*t about downward-facing dog and sun-salutes and such.  It was the perfect kick off to trying to achieve better health.  I went to a yoga class today actually.

It doesn’t hurt that my friends are all fit and beautiful either!  Just being around them is inspiring.

I’ve gotten a bit quieter of late.  I still love to socialize, but it felt great to do that and then hang out with a book.  I liked my plane flights— so much uninterrupted time!  No one bothered me at all!  It was great.  I knit a whole hat!  Most of all, it is so fantastic to sit around and talk with interesting, inspiring people who care about you.  This was very much a “bring the love” week, and I think we all need more of those.

In: on the road again | | #