The sun is a steady 28 C. (83 F.) degrees here every day with gentle, cooling breezes...absolutely perfect!
Last winter this was a busy and bustling little Mexican town and reservations were required a year in advance to ensure a room. This year is a very different story. It's much quieter, with rooms available almost everywhere. The economy here is very dependent on North American tourism...especially retiree's...and there have been many cancellations this winter. On our walks around town, there are "for sale" signs everywhere...another indication of a suffering economy.
Our world is now so intricately intertwined and interconnected in so many ways and what happens "here", affects everyone over "there". It's almost as though we inhale and exhale as a planet now.
We're all feeling buffeted by the "winds of change" even though we realize that what we had, wasn't sustainable. But how do we stay positive and hopeful when the media screams at us "it's only going to get worse!" ? I'd like to share some words spoken recently by Pepper Lewis of The Peaceful Planet.
Look for good news, not in the day's headlines, but within yourself. Look for the good within you and put that to work for you, for everyone else, for the planet and for life itself. This tool is lifetimes old and will always serve you. Offer something good to others and to the world every day. To offer is to extend; it is a presentation or extension of quality. Even as large-scale events unfold, remember that life is lived in the smaller, more personal moments. You are more affected by the breath of a butterfly you have never met than by the heated breath of world debate. Breathe deeply. Breathe because there is life force in the breath and this same life force has the brilliance of a thousand suns.
I've been practicing daily deep breathing for over a month now and although there was a strong resistance to it to begin with, it's effect over the long term has been quite remarkable. I feel stronger, healthier, more peaceful and balanced. It seems so simple...too simple really...but it's very effective. I breathe deeply for 1 full minute and because I had difficulty consistently integrating this into my daily routine, I now tell myself that I can't brush my teeth until I've finished "breathing". Silly, but it works! I inhale while stretching up over my head and exhale while bending over and sweeping my hands down to the ground. My next step will be to begin doing this twice daily. Yoga and meditation are other ways to bring the breath more deeply into the body.
(and yes, there are people living in the home above. What I love about this place is that although it's in ruins, it's situated on a beautiful estuary filled with egrets, pelicans and many other varieties of birds. But the piece de resistance is the riot of flowers that blanket the top of the home! It's as though nature herself is compensating for the lack of "structure" by covering it with a crown of stunningly beautiful blossoms.)