Friday, July 30, 2010
On the morning of our fourth day in Mexico, I woke up fairly early and took Lyla for a walk on the beach. It was such a beautiful morning for a walk. She snuggled up in the byorn and we spent about an hour among the waves of the low tide. I found a few sea shells even and snatched them up to serve as a memory of that lovely morning I spent with Lyla. ....
Once we got back, had a nap and ate lunch, we headed back down to the beach to spend the day there. My mom (the early riser) had staked out a nice cabana for us to spend the day. Although it was hot hot hot, right near the ocean, in the shade, was nice and cool. I was a little worried Lyla would hate the beach, eat the sand, or bolt for the water, but none of these concerns came to pass. She LOVED the beach and would mostly just feel the gritty sand in her hands. I think she loved the freedom of the beach. It was pretty exciting to think that Lyla got the experience of sitting in the sand while waves threaten to get her, at such a young age. She would just laugh and slash as the tide came in and out. We didn't actually swim, but rather played in the waves.
.....
I think what was most striking about our day on the beach for me was to watch the locals. The beach was a great place for sociological observations. All day, the vendors walk up and down the beaches, asking you if you would like to buy whatever they're selling. The goods ranged from clothing, to sand toys, to handmade pottery, to henna tattoos. I say the experience was striking to me because the majority of vendors were women, many of which, had children in tow. One woman's face will be forever ingrained in my mind. She had a baby girl, no more than 4 months old, wrapped in a little sling around her back, and would walk up and down the beaches packing her goods in another sling on the other side of her body. When I first saw the cute little baby's pig tails bobbing, I hoped that mom just did this in the early morning for some extra cash. I told myself the baby probably liked in. I told myself it wasn't too hot yet. I told myself this woman's success in selling today did not determine what they would eat later on.
My denial came crashing down when I passed the woman six hours later. Baby still in tow, sweat beads dripping down her leathery face. She wasn't the only woman either. I saw many. Many men as well, no doubt selling to feed their families. This was just the first in a number of experiences along this trip that reminded me what abundance we Americans live in. I am simply forever grateful for the opportunity to travel to other cultures so that I can be reminded of my own privilege and blessings. Since coming home, I've caught myself several times when I find myself wishing for something. I've since learned that even the poorest of Americans generally have it better off than most of the people I saw in Mexico. I'm going to go ahead and try to never wish for more, a bigger house, a boat, anything. I have it so good. 
This evening Todd and I went out for dinner as well. To celebrate our 4th year of marriage. My mom was nice enough to babysit. I think its the first night I've even left Lyla to do something other than work. We planned to go to the hotel's restaurant but after perusing the menu, Todd had the brilliant and romantic idea to get room service and eat on the Call's balcony as it overlooked the ocean (they were out to dinner). It was such a lovely evening. When we returned, we saw all the grandkids piled up like this. Doing patty cake. Sweet huh?
This evening Todd and I went out for dinner as well. To celebrate our 4th year of marriage. My mom was nice enough to babysit. I think its the first night I've even left Lyla to do something other than work. We planned to go to the hotel's restaurant but after perusing the menu, Todd had the brilliant and romantic idea to get room service and eat on the Call's balcony as it overlooked the ocean (they were out to dinner). It was such a lovely evening. When we returned, we saw all the grandkids piled up like this. Doing patty cake. Sweet huh?
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1 comments:
CUte pics!! Che and I are thinking of going to Mexico in December. Where should we go do you think? Looks like you guys are having a blast!
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