No News Is Good News

Posted: April 21, 2013 | Author: | Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: | Leave a comment

As Russ and I sit on our flight home from Mexico I read over his shoulder much of the news of the week we missed while we were in paradise without a TV or newspapers. As far as weeks go I am just as glad to have been cut off from the minute by minute happenings of the tragedy in Boston. Sometimes being confronted with every detail of a situation you have no control over is unsettling, unproductive and unnecessary.

My heart goes out to everyone effected, both directly and indirectly. I am somehow one step away from everyone who was connected electronically to the events of the week and I am somewhat thankful. I am grateful not to have more hate in the world not wash over me.

In contrast, I spent the week getting to know the smart, kind and fun loving people Russ works with and their spouses who were the real treat. Together we all experienced the generous and hospitable Mexicans who were our hosts. We had fabulous weather, great conversation, food fit for the gods, shared laughs, stories and no sadness. It was a break from not just the day-to-day grind, but even more the craziness of the whole world which TV assaults with.

Carter did text us with our own little emergency that a big tree in our side yard had fallen on the house. In true Carter fashion she had gotten the ladder out and surveyed the damage to the roof before contacting us since she knew we would have a million questions. Her assessment was that the tree had not broken trough the roof, but had dislocated some shingles. When Russ said he would call Joe our builder to come look at it Carter said he should bring a big chain saw and a crane. I got a text from Jan, who was taking care of Carter, before we departed that said Joe said it was a big job and we needed a tree service. Apparently Carter is a good assessor of tree damage.

Even that small difficulty at home was not able to dampen the fun of being disconnected in paradise. I think a little less information and a lot more kindness is just what the world needs. So today try your own vacation from the real world and skip the news, read a novel or play a game with your kids. For the most part you can’t control the bad things happening in the world, but you don’t have to let them control you.

Underground Oasis

Posted: April 20, 2013 | Author: | Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: , | Leave a comment

I never imagined that these words would ever come out of my mouth but, “I wish that I spent more of my vacation underground.” Not just under any ground, but in a cenote which is an underground river with stalactites coming down from the ceiling and stalagmites coming up from the floor.

Twenty one of us from our trip went snorkeling today which was fun, but not anything I had not done before. After snorkeling we got back in our transports and went to a private place where someone had dug a hole in the earth and put a ladder down the hole to the limestone underground cave filled with pristinely clean water. Before we descended the ladder I asked the obvious question, “How are we going to see underground?” Only to be told they had added lighting to the whole underground world. Gorgeous.

We spent time swimming in the river and walking between the caves on small passageways. I am not sure how long we were down there, probably about an hour, but it felt like a blink of an eye. This is how much I liked it, we went down at noon about the time I was getting hungry after my yoghurt breakfast at 7:30, I totally forgot about food and was not hungry when I ascended back to the surface of the earth. Perhaps there is a new diet fad there, the underground diet.

The taller members of the group also got a bigger workout because we had to crouch down as we traversed the caves trying not to bump our heads on the pointy rock formations. All the squats my trainer Tom has had me do paid off in my crouching cave explorer positions.

Tonight our group of 52 is off to explore Playa del Carmen and visit three different spots for drinks, dinner and dessert. Nothing Mexican civilization has to offer can match what God made underground in Mexico.