Yesterday was a particularly people-oriented day for Rick and I, as we had a number of opportunities to reunite with old friends, and meet many new ones.
What I realized, upon reflection, is that everyone is interesting when you really listen to their stories. I also realized that one of the reasons I love coming to San Miguel de Allende year after year is because it's an opportunity to meet people who are eager not only to share their own stories, but to listen to ours as well. And having the opportunity to tell these stories helps me recognize the uniqueness and treasures Rick and I hold.
Some people simply don't understand that we're not here to enjoy fun in the sun, or to frantically hit tourist destinations so that we can check them off our list. Our purpose is to lean into and experience the rich culture that abounds in San Miguel. And that culture includes adventurers like ourselves whose lives are full of interesting experiences that they're more than willing to share.
Last year I had the pleasure of partnering up in Spanish class with a 77-year-old Texan widow who had come to San Miguel on her own so that she could learn to speak Spanish. A retired anaesthesiologist, she has great stories about traveling the world with her beloved husband, Glen. She currently is in training to achieve one of her life dreams, climbing Mount Kilimajaro. And knowing Lorene, I have no doubt that she'll succeed.
Yesterday at lunch we met a retired Naval Architect who, along with his female partner (once deathly fearful of the water due to an early-in-life trauma), delivers yachts from destination to destination. They became intrigued with Mexico during a delivery from San Franciso to Costa Rica, and moved to San Miguel about 4 years ago. We spent the better part of an hour sharing experiences, and enjoyed our time together so much that we exchanged info so we could get together again.
In the evening we attended a party given by Ardena, a friend we met here last year. A retired emergency room doctor and then director at Cook County Hospital, there's no end to the wealth of stories Ardena can tell about her travels, her career, and what urban life is like in downtown Chicago.
An interesting couple we spent time with last year was at Ardena's party. Monty has traveled the world on cruise ships for free by playing host to and dancing with the rich ladies who are able to afford these exotic 6 week cruises. He fell in love with the beautiful Valerie at a tango studio in San Miguel a number of years ago, and they've been together ever since.
In addition to reuniting with old friends at the party, we had the pleasure of meeting a lot of very interesting people with very interesting stories. A few examples are:
- a youngish couple who cashed in their chips in the States, bought some land in San Miguel, and built an architecturally amazing complex that includes 3 dwellings. They reside in one of those homes, and rent the other two out. (The party we attended last night was on the patio of one of their lovely rentals). She's a dog lover, and they "foster" animals that otherwise would not have a home. They currently have 10 dogs living with them so if we need a "dog fix" while here, we certainly know where to go.
-an African/American anthropologist/attorney/writer who has traveled and lived all over the world, whose roots go back to the days of slavery, and who has done so much family history research that he is able to tell interesting story after story about his ancestors and about the cultures they lived in. Writing the historical novel that's already living in his head is definitely on his bucket list.
As I stated earlier, meeting and talking with these interesting adventurers has helped me begin to discover and share my own specialness. And so I'm wondering...what are the stories you share with others as you journey through life? They may or may not be tales of travel - taking advantage of the opportunity to uncover your beauty through sharing your unique life experiences is actually what's most important. We're each given a certain amount of time on earth, and then it's over. At 64 years of age I'm just beginning to realize the importance of using that time wisely by recognizing and sharing our gifts, talents and blessings with others.
No one lights a lamp and then puts it under a basket. Instead, a lamp is placed on a stand, where it gives light to everyone in the house. Matthew 5:15
I just love the people you meet! You two are such an interesting couple with all your experience that you must draw interesting people to you. I usually get a good audience for my prison stories but I'm thinking I need to work on being more interesting!
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