Surfing and Spiritual Lessons

OK, I have just finished my fourth surfing lesson. Definitely progress — not because I am getting better (likely, but hard to judge), but because the waves are getting tougher. Like life, no?

Think about it — when you are in the middle of a challenging situation, praying to know more about your relationship with the Divine and striving to live a life as the reflection of divine qualities, it is really tough to judge whether or not there is progress being made. The challenges are still there, coming at you, and it isn’t until there is a breakthrough, a sense of dominion, do you look at how far you have come.

Back to surfing. The first two times was in the beginners’ area of the surf…catching the white waves. These are waves that have already broken and you are catching the foamy stuff that still has power to move you forward. Easier to learn how to stand up and give you confidence in the beginning.

But the real surfing is catching the green waves…these are the waves earlier in their formation where your objective is to catch the lip before it breaks. Faster, harder, way cooler.

The waves this week have been pretty calm, so my instructor (Tessa from Canada – adorable!!) took me out further on Tuesday (still in the beginners section) to catch some green. Wahoo! Stood up a few times….felt different and more like gliding.

Today, the beginners section had NO waves. So Tessa says, “we are going out to the professionals area!”

Gulp. I have been thinking this morning about the qualities expressed in surfing: grace, strength, balance, coordination. I have these already, I am not working to “get” them. And because I have these qualities as a reflection of the Divine Spirit, I have dominion over any influence that would say otherwise. This is the rock I am standing on.

But phew, I have not yet achieved that sense of calm….

Today it was really different wave action: lots of time between waves so Tessa taught me more techniques about paddling, getting ready, board position, how to “turtle” under a wave if it is too big….lots to learn and be comfortable with. How to have dominion over the waves, eh?

I caught a few waves, which evidently is an accomplishment — but being the super-achiever that I am (first day in kindergarten I didnt learn to read and I came home SO DISAPPOINTED!), I am a bit dejected. But that is why right now it is so important to note specific areas of progress.

The waves are more challenging, I am learning to get the feel of the movement, I am not afraid.

Step by step, wave by wave…each new lesson demands that I leave the comfort of that achievement and move to the next. The good news is, I already possess the ability — I am simply learning to express it.

My big achievement is to walk over the waves of anxiousness and disappointment into joy and freedom, regardless of the wave action. Pretty good metaphor for daily life, I am thinking.

Que bueno!

Sharing goes two directions

There are two very cool things about having friends visit your new home: you get to share with them all your favorite things about your community (sites, events, restaurants, activities) and, if they know your area, they share with you THEIR favorite things to do….so that when the next group of friends come, you have even MORE to share — and they share, etc. etc. etc.

So, por ejemplo, when Don and Emily came they knew a little town next to our town (Sayulita) better than we did, so they took us to their special stores and restaurants. The best burrito on the coast is Burrito Revolution! Now we know.

They also insisted that we stop the camaron (shrimp) truck as the seller was broadcasting fresh “Camaron! Polpu! (octupus). This is fresh like you cant possibly get at the store. Fresh-that-morning fresh. So we bought a kilo (2.2 pounds I think) for, um, $9.50. These were the GIGANTIC shrimp. And that night we had the best grilled shrimp I have ever had!

SO, this week, Page and Dirk are visiting, so of course we took them to Burrito Revolution….and we bought another kilo of fresh shrimp. SCORE! Also, best restaurants (Xaltemba in La Penita and La Ola Rica in San Pancho) and the tiangis (Indian Market) in La Penita. 

And, at all these restaurants we introduce our new friends to our old friends, which is very very satisfying.

Page and Dirk wanted to go find the natural hot springs about an hour away…so we trekked up into the hills and found this totally cool collection of pools fed by hot springs, surrounded by a picnic area! Unfortunately, we arrived on pool cleaning day so will have to return. A trip for the next group of friends!

But here is the best share from Dirk and Page: Page surfs and she really wanted to take some surfing lessons in Sayulita, which is known for its great surfing. And, she REALLY wanted me to go with her and take surfing lessons.

The funny thing is I have been watching the water from my deck and during my walks along the beach and thinking, “I really need to get into the water — it is the total experience of living ON the water….I have to get IN it…..”

So, without much prodding, I took my first surf lesson a couple of days ago….and today took another one. And next week will take two more!

Besides the great exercise, it really is great to thoroughly enjoy the water. I feel like I am getting the whole coastal experience!

The best part? The spiritual insistence on no limitations due to age, physical strength, balance, coordination, intelligence. In fact, I have loved thinking about this quote from Science and Health: 

Whatever is governed by God, is never for an instant deprived of the light and might of intelligence and Life.

Freedom. For me, Mexico is meaning freedom in thought in so many ways…surfing is definitely a big one!

No Miedo

Buenas noticias! I started a Spanish conversation class today — 3 times a week for one hour. The focus is on getting comfortable with using 3 verb forms: present, past and imperfect (ok, this tense is different from English: it is used when something happened but could STILL be happening. IOW, it has no time limit).

Entonces, I have to know the verb, how to conjugate it three different ways for me, you, him/her, us, them. In addition to vocabulary.

Otra vez, again, I am SO GRATEFUL to mi profesora en Santa Fe, EVITA. She taught us and drilled into us los verbos cada clase. And I was such a nerd that in between classes, for fun, I would conjugate regular and irregular verbs to practice.

A mis hermanas (Donna, Susana, Mary Cay) en la clase: Sabemos mucho conocimiento! We know a lot from our class. What my new class helps me do is listen/hear and recognize the Spanish in conversation.  It is one thing to formulate what you want to say in your head but as soon as you say it someone is going to respond in Spanish — hey, it is a CONVERSATION! That is the hard part.

But I am already feeling more confident. Years ago, Ken and I took an Italian cooking class. Once a week, for about 4 hours: a class of 10 made a 3-4 course meal that we would eat at around 10pm.

What was so great about this (in addition to Ken fearlessly diving into cooking) is that I learned to take on any recipe, no matter how complicated. We did some complicated dishes…and we also learned how to save potential disasters! A little tip: almost any dessert can be saved with more cream!

Learning is all about confidence. Losing fear, trepidation, hesitation, anxiety. Putting into practice what you know already (and you know SOMETHING to get started with!). Keep it simple and add on as you learn. 

A friend commented last week how glad she was that I was learning Spanish because she believes that it shows how much you love your new friends in your new country. And this love is totally selfLESS.

She also said she made some BIG mistakes but it doesnt matter….keep practicing!

It just occurred to me that in addition to learning Spanish, I am also learning to lose the fear of making a mistake!

Oportunidad toca

Opportunity knocks — more like continuously bangs on the door here in San Pancho. There is a vital creative energy operating here that we felt ever since we first visited this little town a couple of years ago. Everywhere you turn, there is an opportunity to create a business, provide a new service, offer something new and needed in the community. And people are doing it!

Mi esposo, Ken, and I thrive in that kind of environment. We love to participate in it and contribute to it. Almost everyone we have met here — ex-pat and local — has a pioneering spirit, a “think it, do it” attitude that cuts through inertia so effortlessly.

For instance, our friend Daniel the artist decided to venture forth from his desert home to the coast and open a gallery showcasing his art. No  business plan, just decided it was time to connect more with an everyday community and learn new spiritual lessons. It’s working, and he is creating new ways to connect every week: started a weekly art class, for instance.

Another friend, Geno, has a real estate office plus a kick-butt band. On a recent trip to Guadalajara, he and his wife Elvia noticed that a lot of people were buying materials at a stationary and art supplies store (“papeleria”) and thought, “hey with all the galleries and small business in San Pancho, we need that!” So within a couple of weeks they had two truckloads of supplies delivered, their garage on the main street spruced up and a store was opened! When Daniel heard about it he said “This is great for my art class!”

Lots of other local folks open up small restaurants in front of their houses or put their homes on top of the restaurants…people gotta eat all the time, right? We have gotten to know several of them.

Another friend, Gloria, started a successful restaurant here years ago. Recently, good customers asked if she would manage their vacation rental property for them. Gloria said she was totally ready and excited for a new project and jumped right in with new ideas, new upgrades to the property and — hey a new restaurant on the beach! All within a few months. Phew!

There is such a freedom of thought in all this….but it is also very simple, very straightforward: what is the need of the community (no guessing, these are people you live with everyday), what can I do (or more like, What do I want to do?), how can I get started right away with a small investment and then see where it grows. No big business plan, no huge cost/expense commitment, no need for investors, NO DEBT (all cash, which keeps the risk pretty low).

There is this constant buzz of people thinking, creating, doing, morphing, adjusting, expressing…I love it — and want to be a part of it!

It also makes me think that there is something really important to be learned here, in light of the economic woes of more so-called  ”sophisticated” economies.

First, the debt thing. When you use only the cash you have on hand or have access to, it totally changes what you are willing to spend your money on. Keep the scope/scale small and control your expenses (first thing, no debt-service). Maintain a CONSTANT connection to your customers to see what they want and what they are willing to spend their cash on. Be poised to change or even shut down if no one is buying what you are selling. Never be in a position where you are so committed you cant get out.

Next, ask yourself, Is this (business/service) what I want to spend my time working on, thinking about, dreaming about? Will I enjoy talking with customers, chatting up potential customers, be happy if no one comes through the door (or calls on the phone) for periods of time? Will I have the desire and energy to constantly learn more about my business and be willing to shift and adapt to new trends? The answer better be “yes” because it will indicate you have a passion for your business. In fact, the passion for whatever it is comes BEFORE the business of whatever it is.

Then, just do it! Seriously, if you have a passion, and the money-risk-debt is minimized and you have a handle on what the potential customers will want to buy, why wait? On the one hand, you cant know everything before you get into it so you might as well get OTJ (on-the-job experience) and the other hand, whatever market vibes you are feeling about the demand are happening in real time, not future time, so get going! 

A corollary to this is: prove the concept….by keeping it small, you can prove what you think is a good idea and then grow from there in manageable components. IOW, prove the next add-on, and so-on. But the risk-free way is to self-fund the next iteration….the success of the former is laying the right foundation for the success of the next.

This reminds me of what it might have been like in the Wild West…but actually takes me back to the early days of the Wild Wild Web (yeah, i was there!). Unfortunately, in those days we quickly fell into the credit/debt bottomless pit. So I am stressing NO DEBT…it totally changes the scale, simplifies decision-making and keeps the business object CLEAR.

So, respuesta a la oportunidad!

Good connections

Whenever I move to a new community I feel this compelling need to connect with it, to figure out what the underlying, motivating influences are, to get to know the people who live the life of the community. I need to feel active in it, not passively floating through it.

Santa Fe was such a different place from any city I have ever lived in that I got sort of desperate: I volunteered to work for one of the candidates in the mayoral campaign. It definitely helped — I worked for the only Hispanic candidate and in Santa Fe that is a very big deal. (I was one of the very few Anglos working at the headquarters.) My candidate didnt win because it turns out that even a bigger deal than being Hispanic is belonging to the Union (whatever union, although a big one in the capitol is the government employees union).

But I digress…suffice to say I got a good insight into what makes Santa Fe tick over the past 400 years. Plus, I got motivated to take Spanish lessons.

So here we are in a little town in Mexico and I am so yearning to be connected…to communicate with the local people and get into the daily rhythm of San Pancho. Many speak English, but I really want to communicate in Spanish, which requires getting more fluent, which is my hangup. Chicken-egg thingy.

Every day in my early morning prayer-time I have been thinking about how I can do this. And a couple of days ago I read this great quote from my favorite spiritual guidebook, Science and Health:

One must fulfil one’s mission without timidity or dissimulation, for to be well done, the work must be done unselfishly.

OK, this made me stop and think, what was preventing me from just going into town and hanging around at a cafe or walking down the street and talking with folks in my child-like Spanish? Shyness? Kids arent shy when they are learning…and anyway, as an adult it seems to me that shyness is another form of selfishness, no? Preoccupation with your own self? In order to give of one’s self, you cant keep it to yourself.

In order to eliminate “timidity” I need to see that my purpose to connect and communicate is a good purpose and must be fulfilled. Therefore, there is no room for being shy or, ouch, selfish. I want to give of myself. And “dissimulation” isnt good either! This means to hide or conceal. To me, this means hiding my true self (the good person of the Divine’s creating)  – no wonder I have felt unsettled about not connecting: my hesitancy to go out and just BE  has been hiding who I really am!

So during my prayer time I got really clear about all this. And yesterday morning, we went into town to talk with our friend Jordy who is a local real estate guy. We met some other acquaintances and talked with them (some English, some Spanish ), then sat in a cafe on the sidewalk.

Along comes a new friend, Daniel, who has a wonderful new gallery down the street. Daniel is definitely on a spiritual quest and has spent a few years incorporating this quest into his art (or maybe the other way around). We had a really deep spiritually-based conversation about community and connecting (not so surprising!) and then he mentioned that he gives art classes every Wednesday and did I want to come?

Oh boy, answered prayer!

We walked down the street to another new shop to buy paints, brushes and paper. Of course all in Spanish. While there I saw Juan, the dear fellow who does landscaping at our house….I think his esposa runs the paper tiendra.

I love this town!

This great experience — and the expectation of future connections — really lifted me up. I feel like I am on the path to learn, to give, to bless. For me there is no better feeling.

Man walks in the direction towards which he looks, and where his treasure is, there will his heart be also. If our hopes and affections are spiritual, they come from above, not from beneath, and they bear as of old the fruits of the Spirit. (Science and Health)

A beautiful day in the neighborhood

OK, I finally figured out how to crop pictures on my Mac. Yes, you are probably thinking “What?!” I mean, how easy could it be? Turns out it is very easy. Guess all it took was some motivation. I wanted to post some pix of our casa here in Mexico so anyone reading my blogs wouldnt have to work so hard to imagine

View from the open living room with palapa roof

Hey, that wasnt hard to post here either! Check out the blue Pacific just beyond the deck chairs. OK then, I will do one more.

 

La Playa San Pancho from our patio

I wish I could post the balmy breeze (about 82 degrees) and the sound of the crashing waves. Then you would feel like you are really here!

Hasta luego…off to take more pictures!