What we do down here in Mexico is go on frequent “outings” to restaurants and bars with a growing circle of friends.
This may sound somewhat counter-culture to our demographic, habits and religious identities back home. I believe though it is teaching us a lesson. Bare with me.
Wednesday night we went to a fundraiser in nearby La Cruz which is known as “a little drinking town with a fishing problem”. This annual street event raises funds to pay the medical bills of a local family in need. Wonderful since minimum wage here is $7.50CDN/day.
There were a dozen talented bands all volunteering their time, that played on the street as we watched from our restaurant seats above. There were expats, bare footed people, people in cowboy hats, young and old all dancing in the street and smiling in the warm evening air. The bands ranged from acoustic flamingo type music to Jim Morrison and the Doors. They were all top-notch!
About half way through the evening, I noticed one of the servers had a tee-shirt on that said “Enjoy Now”. I complimented her on it and she smiled and said thanks. This is so Mexican! I was too shy to ask to take her picture (this is so Canadian).
The other part of this story is that we were with a friend named Doug who has just lost his wife tragically due to complications from a car accident. He is grieving and needed to talk about his pain all evening.
So I juxtapose these two precepts – the pain of loosing your spouse and “enjoy now”. Yes we must feel our pain, struggle to get beyond it and enjoy now. As Marie puts it, the art of letting go of whatever it is that is keeping you off-balance, is what life is all about. And so, enjoy now is a great lesson. So folks, wherever you are in life, enjoy now!
PS As I write this on the beach a large group of Mexican volunteers are scouring the beach, digging up cigaret buts and any other litter to take away. Says it all about the lovely, gracious and humble Mexican people who are teaching us how to enjoy now.
PPSS Minutes after posting this Ron Rolheiser, OMI sent out a post saying the same thing that he had written a few years back…
http://ronrolheiser.com/the-challenge-of-accepting-pleasure-without-guilt/#.XKe2rDFYbVJ
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