Monday, January 2, 2012

We Have Changed Our Minds

After living in Mexico for a year, Ty and I have changed our minds. Life here in Mérida is well…. Not exactly as we thought it would be.
In this last year, we have of course been thoroughly engrossed in restyling this wonderful old house. I have commented several times I will be glad to be finished with construction and START my life in Mérida! While selecting photos for a “Year in Review” video to email to family and friends I realized we did a lot more this last year than live “under construction”.
Our year started with scrambling to tidy up the details of moving south of the border, visiting family and friends and saying goodbye to everything familiar and comfortable. In the “Honeymoon” stage of our move, we were enthralled with the little things that make Mexico different from the United States. Women riding side saddle on the back of a motorcycle in a dress and flip flops, women in white embroidered dresses with tubs of flowers perched on their heads, music spilling over the stacked stone walls and street vendors at your door with fresh tortillas, breads, pastries, fruit and dirt!
When your mind changes it is often painful, the stretching, the tossing out of what you had thought for your entire life, the grasping of new concepts and then REALITY! I have said, “I spent an entire lifetime learning how to live only to move here and find those skills absolutely useless”.
The seasons have changed in the year we have been here and so have we. We have changed our minds; we no longer feel we must have the latest gadget, the most stylish clothes or a microwave. We have changed our minds and sometimes our minds are thinking in Spanish first! We have stood in awe at the foot of a Mayan pyramid and stood in awe at the beauty of a colonial building. We have heard the melody of a folk song and the bark of a roof dog. We have watched men in flip-flops build our house. We are not living the life we dreamed ……. We are living the reality of a much richer life than we had dreamed possible. When you meet people who are writers, artists, chefs, photographers, small town attorneys and history teachers, you cannot help but be enriched by the experience of knowing these people. When you meet people who have little income and few material possessions but live a simple and fulfilled life you cannot help but see the richness of their lives and re-evaluate your own priorities.
We have lived through the heat, the dust and the mosquitos, a language barrier, and missing our family so much we ache. We have worked through the challenges little by little and shed a lifetime of preconceived ideas. This brings us to the realization WE HAVE CHANGED OUR MINDS!
Ty, Gringa Dog and I wish you all a wonderful year ahead and we hope for each of you a life where you too will have the opportunity to CHANGE YOUR MIND!
Stay with us this year as we continue our adventure of living in Merida!

22 comments:

  1. A brilliant way to express it. Here's to 2012 in Merida!

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  2. I hope this happens to us too! It's kind of scary to know that changes are coming and I will have to cope with them. I love your philosophy of life! Thanks for sharing... oh and I love your garden.

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  3. Yes a lovely post and it really hits home about what we hope is in our future when we move down. All the best for 2012...

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  4. Oh Sara, that was beautiful. You are going to thrive here with that fabulous outlook.

    Thank You for expressing how I often feel, it is an amazing adventure we are on.

    Abrazos fuertes
    Debi

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  5. Yes. Wonderfully put. You've got what it takes to make a success of whatever you decide to do here.

    Felicidades, and happy new year. I am sure it will be an exciting one.

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  6. You had me worried there for a few minutes. I'm so glad it is a good change!

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  7. Lee, So good to hear from you, yes we are excited about what 2012 will bring, hope to see you soon!

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  8. Carlos and Pat, It is a little scary sometimes, but so worth it. Change IS why we here, right!You will love it here.

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  9. Darren and Wade, Best of luck on all the "Changes" in your future!

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  10. Debi, Thank you, it is a real adventure and so worth the effort.Best to you this New Year.

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  11. Marc, Thank you! I appreciate your vote of confidence.Happy New Year!

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  12. Debbie, Sorry to worry you, but I did enjoy writing in the suspense!

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  13. Ty and Sara,
    What a beautiful post and a beautiful realization. Thank you for writing this.

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  14. John and Alan,
    Thank you! I do hope this post touches those who dream as we did for so long about changing their address and their lives. Happy New Year

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  15. Darren and Wade, I had a "Blonde" moment, that was me not anonymous!

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  16. A post almost as beautiful as you are, Sara. Love you. LeAnn

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  17. We have lived between Mexico and the U.S. for years and are finally about to sell our house in the States. I could so relate to what eyou so beautifully expressed.

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  18. Sara, that wasn't very nice of you to mess with us like that...LOL. I can't speak for Señor B, but I'm changing my mind, too. We enjoy our simple lives when we're there. Coming back north gets more difficult with each trip south.

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  19. Sherry, Good luck on the sale of your US house. Where in Mexico?

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  20. Barb, Sorry to mess with y'all, It just seemed the best way to express it!

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  21. Thank you for recharging my imagination!

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  22. Jerrie in Del Rio, TexasFebruary 14, 2012 at 9:09 PM

    Ty and Sara, You both know I'm not blonde, gray, actually, it has taken me awhile to figure out the comments....duh. I was so concerned you had given up on your dream. Not so! ! ! Good for yall. Love yall.

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