What's That You Say, Mrs. Robinson?

I Feel A Shift

Time will tell, but I am sensing a shift in my quest to become a writer. I have never been disciplined enough, as evidenced by my on-again off-again blog posting here, to really convince myself that writing is something I can do on a regular basis.

It has come in fits and starts. Each time I tell myself that this is the time I'm going to get serious. I'm not going to beat myself up here for not following through. I am however, acknowledging my serial inconsistency. 

Last November I participated in NaNoWriMo for the first time in earnest. I only got about two weeks in, but I did manage to write over 30,000 words of my novel. I added on to that a bit a few months later, but it has gone largely untouched since then. I've done some editing and re-reading to familiarize myself with where I was going, but not much new material has been created. 

And so as I prep to participate again this year as a way to get back to work, I find that the law of attraction is at work. I have somehow begun to surround myself with "real" writers as part of my crew. A friend I made last year here in Sayulita, Mexico has sent me his screenplay and asked me to be a beta reader. Another writer, one who had an on-line workshop I took several years ago called Mondo Beyondo, has a book coming out in November and has asked me to be on her book launch team (to post reviews, do social media posts about the book etc) in exchange for an extra copy of the book that I can either give to a friend or do a give-away on my FB or IG accounts.

I'm also playing with another idea to publish a short book and a supplemental workbook and one-pagers on redefining retirement. That one I will self-publish and work on creating some passive income streams. Of course I am having a conversation with myself about focus and not constantly letting new shinny object projects distract from my novel, but I'm really excited about this one and think it would be a good supplement to the kind of writing I need to do in the novel. If I can get it published, it might also give me some publishing cred for when I attempt to find an agent and a publishing house for my novel.

For the first time, I really do feel like I am a writer. Of course, I always have been. A writer is someone who writes and I've been doing this blog for 17 * gulp * years now. But right now, because I have put more time, effort, and energy towards writing for the past year (NOT evidenced here in this blog), I feel like I've taken a big leap. Opportunities are starting to come to me to do writer-type activities and I'm attracting new relationships with people who also write. 

I feel the shift and it is welcome. And I've worked for it. And I deserve it. 

One Month Living in Mexico

Downtown Sayulita

It's been a month now since Dan and I landed here in Sayulita, Mexico amongst the heat and rain and COVID concerns. A month of learning, relaxing, noticing, and reflecting. I'm going to focus less on the reflecting in this post, that will come soon. 

We've eaten a lot of great food, but that's no surprise to us, or to you probably. Wildlife-watching from the pool is a daily activity. Other than two large spiders, I've handled the critter management pretty well. We are beginning to find our groove without losing the edge of spontaneity. 

Although we try to vary our days somewhat, we are also still not out and about as much as we otherwise would be were it not for COVID. Stupid COVID. A typical day would go something like this:

 

1. Wake up around 8 - 9am. The sun doesn't come up until 8am and we don't have much natural light in the bedroom, so it's super easy to sleep late. Later than we would like even, but don't even try to tell me to set an alarm to wake earlier. NOPE. Not yet anyway. Usually you can tell it's about that time without opening your eyes because of the local roosters and the burro who seems to wake up with the sun as well.
2. A breakfast of coffee and peanut butter toast for us both. This is a comfortable way to start the day for me and Dan seems to agree.
3. I sit down to do some creating -  Journaling, watercolor sketching, or learning how to write a novel. My creative energy seems to be in the morning which is odd for me. I think it's because it's the most comfortable part of the day in terms of the heat. It will be interesting as the heat starts to wane in the coming weeks if that is still the case. Also, if I let other things in my brain first, I have a harder time getting back to the creativity. 
4. Dan usually gets into the pool while I'm "arting" and I join him when the heat starts to fight with my creative energy. By now it's usually around 11:30 or noon.
5. We spend time in the pool either listening to an audio book (so far we listened to The Silent Patient, Beneath A Scarlet Sky, and are now listening to The Dutch House) or listening to some music. We take care to notice the wildlife around us which could, on any given day, include tiny lizards, iguanas, butterflies of many sizes and colors, chachalacas (AKA Tree Chickens), dragonflies, caterpillars, parakeets, and various other birds. This will take us into the early afternoon when Dan might get out and create a fruit salad for lunch. The fruit here is so flavorful, but not many varieties are easy to get yet. The farmer's market starts in November and we're told it will "change everything" for us in that regard.
6. At this point we'll either get back in the pool or play a game (we are mostly playing Qwirkle and the card version of Monopoly)  and then get back in the pool. It's getting really hot at this point (high 80s to 90s with humidity in the same digits).
7. Siesta time is around 4 or 5. This is the hottest part of the day and because air conditioning uses a lot of very expensive electricity, we opt for laying under a fan and doing absolutely nothing.
8. We go out for dinner around 7 as it is starting to cool off then. We don't have a vehicle so we walk the 15 minutes into town (queue the sweat). Also, the bulk of the eateries don't start opening until after 6 so this is really the best time.  We go as late as possible because the town really starts to come alive later in the evening. The heat really dictates things here. Dinner after the sun goes down really is the best option.
9. Back home we sometimes don't even get in the door to the house before getting back into the pool. There is a gate to the property from the street and then you walk around the back to get to the "front door." The night time dip comes with fireflies and bats occasionally. A visit from a local cat (we call him/her 'el gato blanco') isn't uncommon.
10. Before bed we might do some reading or futzing around on our computers. This would bring us to around 10 or 11pm.

Occasionally we'll go into town twice in one day, especially if we are wanting chilaquiles for breakfast or have an errand to run (going to the bank, shopping for fruit or coffee etc). 

There is more to it than this, but that's for another post. We talk a lot about what we are experiencing, what options we have for the future, and various other current topics. We are paying attention to what is happening on the US political front, but actively trying to minimize it. We voted via the oversees absentee method which was doable but not for the easily deterred. Staying informed without getting emotionally distraught isn't easy, but we're doing a pretty good job of it. This is one of the reasons we are where we are. And glad for it.

The Great Cerveza Deficiency

Written, but not posted on our first day in Mexico

Having a cup of coffee, Dan having fresh papaya - out on the back porch. There was a massive thunder and lightning storm that lasted for hours last night. We have yet to understand if this was a “normal” nightly storm by local standards or if this was as remarkable as we think it was. 

We are noting how much this feels like Hawaii. Nancy’s Hawaii. We have a couple of cats that visit the yard regularly and a neighborhood rooster. The air is thick with the remnants of tropical rain, a multitude of palms and ferns adorn the yard, the birds cawing and chirping, the sun peeking through the clouds cating a clean morning shade of light. It is absolute perfection. 

We survived the great cerveza deficiency* of 2020 thanks to our driver, Antonio Banderas (I shit you not) who made a few calls to his neighbors in San Ignacio to procure some cerveza for us. We had to agree to Modelo because no Corona was to be found anywhere. THE IRONY IS THICK HERE.

*Come to find out that from Sept 13 - 17, there are no alcohol sales allowed in the state of Nayarit. This is because the Mexican Independence Day is Sept 16th and with COVID the government doesn’t want everyone getting super drunk and rowdy. We didn’t know this until we stopped at the grocery store on the way from the airport and the news was troubling. 

 

 

 

It's not just a vacation anymore

As we begin our seventh day here in Mexico, we turn a corner. Our previous trips to Mexico have not been longer than a week and they have been in the comfort of hotels. We are entering the phase where the day to day trials begin to take hold. Some points of note:

• We live down the street from an event venue. We are told there are only a few big events there a year, last night being one of them. We think it was a Quinceanera celebration but aren't certain. When we walked by on our way back from dinner, we noticed a massive drum kit being assembled along with towers of amps and speakers. This did not bode well. The festivities began around 9:30pm and didn't stop until.....wait for it....5:30 AM! And by festivities, I mean the band. they played, taking breaks occasionally, until FIVE THIRTY IN THE MORNING! Yo necessito mucho café, por favor. The good news is that Dan miraculously slept through the whole thing and I got a LOT of reading done.
• Dan is spending the morning doing laundry. A LOT of laundry. When the humidity and temperatures never drop below 80, you sweat. A LOT. 
• While neither of us feel sick in any way, let's just say that after 6 days of eating local cuisine, our digestive systems are definitely in an adjustment phase. 
• Last night I was literally frightened by my own shadow for the first time in my life. Chalk it up to my brain noticing EVERYTHING these days.
• I'm not going to lie. I would love to get a pizza delivered right now. Alas, there is no such thing.

Reading back over this, I'd say we are doing pretty well. These are all small, inconsequential things in the grand scheme of things. Nothing that can't be fixed by a dip in the pool and a nap. 

 

Lovely Day

Waking up in Mexico, day three.

I love how I can tell where I am first thing in the morning by the sounds I hear. Those sounds have changed drastically over the past six months. In San Carlos it was mockingbirds, scrub-jays, Caltrain, and sometimes the neighbor chatting with her cat. In Gig Harbor it was Canada geese, Bald Eagles, leaf blowers and boats. In Colorado it was, well...it was pretty quiet other than the occasional footsteps overhead (the guest room was in the basement). 

Here in Sayulita, Mexico it starts with the puppies barking. There is an animal shelter right across the road and they wake with the sun. That may sound annoying but we love dogs and they aren't too loud and it only lasts a short while. Then there is the neighborhood rooster who also isn't too loud and is at least a few houses away. The rooster and the burro seem to wake at approximately the same time, so he/she hee haws a few times to ensure we are ready to start the day. The sun doesn't come up until about 8am here so the animals waking with the sun doesn't feel intrusive. There are also the occasional vehicle noises as people make their way to work and school. If it has been raining, which it almost always has as it is rainy season here, there is also the sound of water rushing down the riverbed adjacent to our home and the passing vehicles splashing through the puddles. The wild parakeets don't seem to start moving around and making noise until later in the day.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Snapshot in time for this morning: 

• After having a fresh papaya and cup of coffee for breakfast, Dan is walking to the nearby pharmacia to purchase something to help unclog the wax in his ear created by dunking his head underwater in the pool over and over. These are the hazards we face and yes, Dan has started drinking coffee.
• I had to sweep a cricket out of the house first thing this morning and while doing so also swept a slug off of the porch. So far my critter management game has been strong. We are only day three, though. I have yet to be truly tested.
• The neighborhood cat is staring at me through the bushes. We have, not so creatively, named it "gato blanco." This is to compliment the dog who lives down the street who we have named "perro blanco." 
• I write this while sitting on the back patio listening to all of the sounds mentioned above and the song that inspired this post:

Hasta luego