09:26
Coatepec, Mexico
Today marks one week at my most recent temporary residence. I hopped an early bus out of DF to Xalapa and got to Coatepec by three. It wasn't as nice as the bus out of Guadalajara. It didn't have touch screen Duck Hunt. But it was still nice and I enjoyed the ride more or less. You have to hand it to them. The buses here are nice. This ain't no Greyhound with seven layers of white trash grubbing up the armrests. They're clean, quiet and quite comfortable. Me gusta mucho.
It's always nice to have a little alone time, too. I'm constantly in tune with the mental and emotional energy of everything and everyone around me. It allows me to be a... Well, not quite a mind-reader. But more like a heart-reader. It's a great gift. But it's difficult to turn off and it becomes overwhelming when I'm constantly absorbing the emotional information from everyone around me. Sometimes it's nice just to be alone. That's one of the reasons I really enjoyed long distance running and other zen tasks. It's just me, myself and I. The Three Amigos. It's nice to say hello every now and again. And the bus was a perfect place for the powwow.
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DF is just like any other city, as soon as you're out of the city limits - guess what? Cows and cornfields, baby. Everywhere. Farmers don't bother planting anything on the hillsides. There are plenty of valleys to sow their seed. Plus, it's flatter, wetter and more fertile. They're doing everything by hand - so you do the math.
Staying in DF was nice. I REALLY enjoyed hanging out with Carlos and Toño. Even though we did get out of the house a few times just to mix it up, what I really enjoyed was just hanging out, catching up on sleep and maoing down all the amazing food that Toño came up with. THANKS, Toño! Yummy!
But big cities... Yeah, they kind of freak me out a little. It's not that I don't like them, there's just so much going on I can't pay attention to anything. I'm much more comfortable in a small town. I feel like I can walk around more, despite the stares, and explore things on my own terms. I like Coatepec. It's small, the people seem nice and there are actually a few other Gringos here.
Coatepec is just south of Xalapa, a decently sized city in the state of Veracruz. Walking down the main street it feels much more like "Mexico" as I would have imagined it. It's more rural, the people are a little darker and it's not quite jungle but it's a lot closer than the dry semidesert of western Mexico. And to top it all off you can clearly see the snowpeaked top of a nearby volcano. Hell yeah!
This town is known for its incredible coffee production. I've only had a little bit, but trust me, it's good. I'm not sure how much shipping is but if anyone wants to make an order (Tom Posen) I'd be happy to send some your way!
But drinking coffee isn't all I'm doing here. The reason I ended up here for a little stint is to complete another work exchange. I spend the days on and off completing various tasks to help out my host:
Shayla is originally from the US. She went to the University of Texas, worked for Apple, did the kinds of things that any human on this planet would do - whatever she wanted. And then she got sick. Real sick.
Shayla ended up in the hospital for a long period of time. Scar tissue from a childhood case of appendicitis had been strangling her intestines; making digestion nearly impossible and rendering her very weak. Her heart stopped pumping and her blood-starved brain began to shut down; resulting in brain damage. As a result, she now needs help doing things that you and I take very much for granted. Like walking and removing a sticky jar lid. So I'm here to be an extra set of hands. And feet. I take care of her dog, Choco, run to town for groceries, help out in the kitchen and try to beat Maeve (another help exchanger) to the ever present sink of dishes. Man, she's fast.
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I enjoy being here and feeling useful. It's a good trade. From the outside looking in it may seem like Shayla is a bit demanding. But I don't think that's accurate. Right away I knew that we were very similar and so I understood where she was coming from. She's anal! Takes one to know one! And so am I. I like things done a certain way. Why? Because that's usually the best way to do it. There usually IS a best way to do something. That... Or that's just the way I like it. So there. And if I wasn't the one physically able to complete the task then I would try to be extremely articulate about how I was interested in having that task completed. So I get it. Totally. She's not demanding. She's directing.
Coming here I wasn't sure exactly what to expect. I guess I never really can be sure. I'm living in someone else's house and earning my keep through the completion of various tasks. So I can't be too picky. Overall though, I'd say I did a fairly good job of interviewing this host. I've got my own room, there's super fast WiFi and DELICIOUS food. Delicious. Which brings me to my next point.
I think it would be fair to say that we all have a little bit of room for improvement in our lives. In all areas. I have a lot that need some work. Watching Shayla scoot around in her little chair (watch your toes!) has really inspired me to look inward and think about the things that I can focus on. I mean, she's come back from complete dependence - like, tracheotomy dependence - to a state where she can walk with a little help and do most of the things that any abled-bodied person can do. I think I can step it up a notch. Here are the things I'm currently focusing on:
- Diet
- Excercise, Flexibility, Focus
- Time Management
- Life Vector
So I'm working from the ground up. I'm taking some time to think about the places I've been, the things I've done and learned and what it is that I want to do with all of these things. Mostly, I feel a little scrambled. Ground up. Like a million bits of speckled sand splashed upon the seashore. I am the beach. Each unique grain retains a solid core, a tiny truth hauled down from wizened mountains by a thousand rivers. Tumbled and stripped of extraneous bullshit I'm left with the purest of truths. A boulder becomes a speck. A speck becomes a pearl. Or, with the proper forge and concentration, a crystal lens to see the world anew.
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SO... Diet.
I've never been a vegetarian. I love meat. Yummy. Animals. They're delicious. But now that I'm here... in this house... I decided to give it a shot. I figured, all the pieces are in place. Both of the other people that live here are experienced in preparing delicious vegetarian meals. The meals are extremely nutritious and fresh. I'm pretty sure I'm getting everything that I need. So why fight it. Life's about trying new things, right?
It's working out pretty well. We eat all vegetarian (plus yogurt, keifer and rarely eggs) and as much raw as possible. I'm not sure what the science is behind it all but I can tell you how I feel so far. I'm a week into this regimen and the first thing I noticed after a lot of junk food before was a much "lighter" feeling inside. Meals were filling but not coma-inducing. And remember that plugged up feeling I was having. Yep. That's gone. Now, I have what I like to call "Happy Poops"! Happy! Yay! They don't hurt and they're much more... Shall we say..? Lignin efficient.
The other thing that I've noticed is a definite increase in energy. I feel much more alert and aware. Sustained energy. Not your usual hunger panging, face-stuffing, stomach pumping, mozzarella cheese clumping colon blow routine that half a pizza and six pack will bring about. It's good. I feel healthy. And good food starts to taste a lot better, too.
Another thing that I've noticed is a definite clearing of my complexion. I wasn't super pocked up or anything. But I noticed a clearing of the skin on my face. All but a few blackheads are gone. And I don't use anything on my face. No special scrubs. All they did usually was dry my skin and lead to an oily overcompensation. It's a very visible change and cool to see.
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Exercise, Flexibility, Focus
These are more easily said than achieved. But I'm tired of feeling tight, weak and unmotivated. My back hurts so much most of the time that feeling "normal" is a privilege only a hard-earned *pop* or a medicated toke can rectify. Both are only temporary. They fix the symptoms but not the cause. I gots prollems.
I've had back pain for a long time. And so has my brother. And our father. And all of his brothers. And their father. Pattern? Check. I think it's caused from these four things in order of contribution:
- Lack of core strength
- Poor posture
- Stress
- Genetics
So it looks like the things that are causing the pain are the things that I also have the most control over. Luckily for me, I really am in the right place to get "straightened out". Both Shayla and Maeve (pronounced 'Mave") are pretty adamant about practicing yoga; something that I love but know very little about. It incorporates all the things that I've been missing from my physical health into one therapeutic experience (minus cardio).
Sidenote: I think the main reasons I've found it so hard to get motivated about my own physical activity over the last few years are because:
A. All of my physically intensive experiences from my youth were team activities. I always had somebody else to compete with. Someone there motivating me.
AND
B. I feel like I'm so far behind that picking up momentum is tough. It's difficult to gain traction. But I will. I'm determined. I think a small push and I'm trundling this badboy.
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Time Management
I am notorious for terrible time management. I am the KING procrastinator. "Ahhhh... It'll work itself out." That, or I don't care enough about it to watch it crash and burn. "Meh... Whatever." Not exactly a "go getter" mentality. The problem is that I just get so bored eventually. I don't think I'm ADD. I'm just very selective about what I chose to get interested in because sometimes I get REALLY interested. And that's a lot of energy. Therefore, this category is concerned with compartmentalizing my time resources and making better use of smaller bits instead of waiting for FIVE HOURS to sit down and get something done. Fifteen minutes is a dangerous amount of time to get something done if you're motivated. And I think that's my missing link. Motivation. I'm working on it.
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Life Vector
There is too much to this section to spill out completely, but the main effort is to first look inward at myself, my skills and my interests and compile a set of possible projected futures. I'm not as committed to creating specific life goals so much as I am transforming my chaotic ambitions from amoebic globules into a formidable stream of consciousness. No big deal, right? It's fun wandering, but I think I want to make it a little more intentional. As one wise homeless drug addict once told me, "Wander well and know where to wander." Thanks, man.
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I think next time I'll put up a bunch of pictures. I stashed a few of them on my facebook. But I really want to show you the composting station I built. Eets kewl mon.
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