Ralph Waldo Emerson – Paint Your Landscape

Write it on your heart that every day is the best day in the year. ~ Ralph Waldo Emerson

Today we close our 2012 “life book” and, from what I’ve seen, many of yours have been filled with wonderful sights, memories to last a lifetime. One of the pleasures of blogging is to be able to go back and reflect on where we have been, like movie clips of our lives. My life has been enriched by bloggers worldwide who have offered up a wealth of suggestions: books to scour, travel destinations to dream upon, spectacular photography, music that got me dancing around our rig, technology to enhance our lives, DIY project instructions, sound financial advice, and abounding inspiration. I can’t thank you enough for your generosity.

Tomorrow we pick up a brand-new book, never opened, filled with blank pages. What will you imprint on these pages in the upcoming year? Whatever your plans, I hope you live your dream each and every day and share your passion with the world. The Buddha said “the secret of health for both mind and body is not to mourn for the past, worry about the future, or anticipate problems, but to live in the present moment wisely and earnestly.” My wish for everyone is for abundant good health, both mind and body. I am not one to make resolutions that I may ultimately break, but this upcoming year I plan to see more sunrises, as I have discovered that standing in the delicious silence of early morning, wrapping myself in this wondrous sight, I feel very much in touch with a higher power.

Happy New Year everyone! May you experience hope, great joy, and much lightness and love in the upcoming year.

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We are all inventors, each sailing out on a voyage of discovery, guided each by a private chart, of which there is no duplicate. The world is all gates, all opportunities. ~Ralph Waldo Emerson~

We are clearly on our way to our next adventure, no turning back (well not at least until the plane lands in Guadalajara!). This still seems so surreal to me and I wonder if it does to Terry as well. Outwardly he seems very calm to me and I probably to him, although if he was sitting closer and the noise of the jet engines were not an issue, he might hear something different. I feel that I have one foot still firmly placed in US soil and another toe tentatively touching soil south of the border. I am thinking that it is one thing to be venturing into retirement and another to be doing this by heading out of your native land for a time. A verse from an Eagles’ song pops into my head “A little voice in my head said don’t look back. You can never look back.” So, here we go, as our wheels touch down in Guadalajara, Mexico.

Our flight is 30 minutes late, due to a change in equipment in Phoenix, but still our taxi service, guided by Joseph, is patiently waiting for us as we emerge from customs. We soon learn that he is the owner of the B&B where we will be staying for the next week, a man who has been in Ajijic 7 years, emigrating from Syria, by way of California. He is a gentle soul who firmly believes that you should not sweat the small stuff (which most everything is) and that we should keep in mind that we are visitors in this beautiful country and not try to change what is. We instantly know that we are going to like him.

On our first night we had a lovely dinner at a restaurant named Ninette’s just down the street from our B&B. Many restaurants in this area have garden settings, as does this one, so the views are beautiful; the staff is amazingly friendly; and the food was “muy delicioso”, which was an expression I used on the owner with my meager Spanish. He promptly responded, “So, you enjoyed it, did you?” and seemed to take much joy in tricking me. We met the wait staff, the owner and the chef and felt like we were one of the family before we left. We had dined here earlier this year and the experience was as great this time.

We reconnected with a couple (Erin and Kevin) who were most gracious the last time we visited Ajijic and have been more so this time. They have been instrumental in giving us sage advice in the areas of house hunting, getting a cell phone set up (which has been a test in patience and I believe we have passed), restaurants to frequent, the best shopping areas, yoga teachers, etc, etc. We already consider them friends and do not know how we will ever be able to repay them for their kindness. Fortunately, they subscribe to the same theory as we do, to pay it forward.

Kevin has a blog that we have followed for some time, one of many since we entertained the idea of spending some time in this colorful country. Kevin is very articulate and weighs in on many topics, so I have attached his blog spot for your viewing pleasure: http://caffeinatedcalm.blogspot.com.

Erin has a spiritual side that appeals to be immensely so I am looking forward to growing through spending time with her. She has already given me advice on the best yoga instructors in the area and is practiced in the field of massage. I feel that we are blessed to have been introduced to this lovely couple. As of this writing, thanks to the two of them, we have rented a lovely home that we will be moving into this weekend. As soon as we are settled, pictures will follow!

For those of you who may be concerned about our safety or wondering about how we are adapting to the change in culture, we are doing well. We have walked the streets of this quaint village after dark and the locals and those who are part-time and permanent transplants could not be friendlier. It has only been a few days, but so far, so good.

I am attaching a few pictures of Ajijic so you can enjoy the flavor of this area. Enjoy!