BLUE-EYED BOY IN MEXICO
Once the flutes of Schramsberg Blanc de Blanc, better than Moet, have been emptied, the shrimps have been dipped and the last words of Auld Lang Syne, yes that is how you spell it, have been sung and you’ve given a round of hugs to everyone, take a minute and ask yourself how new your new year will be. Will it be the same old, same place, same stuff or a year full of new.
Will it be full of pleasures, new places, and new ideas? Will it fill you with new energy, new plans, new hope, and new friends? Or will it be just another calendar page turned or torn out?
What if your resolutions went beyond losing some weight and spending some more time at the gym? What if they went to giving yourself the gift of renewal when you reenergize yourself and your life? When you open to new adventures. New ways to spend the day. New horizons and a new sense of being you. New places bring out the new and the best of you.
After having tripped around the world, I have discovered that there are places and peoples who can actually help you achieve reincarnation without you having to leave and return. Best of all if pick the right place you can negotiate the terms of your new life just the way you want it to be.
Not a plunger? Then take your time and a stick your toe in the water a little at a time. I can recommend a place where your toes will love the water so much you’ll want to wade in further. And because my place is both foreign and familiar at the same time you won’t ever feel like you’re in over your head or out of touch.
I spend a lot of time on the beaches of Puerto Vallarta, mostly being pulled along by Hershey, my lab and her ultra sensitive nose and there is one thing I see a lot of. Happy faces. This place has the unique power to turn a frown around and make it a big happy smile.
I must have one on my face because so many people want to come up and talk to me. My dog is obviously one reason they figure I live here. My tan and happy look are probably two more.
“You live here?”
“Yes.”
“Wow, you picked an amazing spot. How is it?”
“Wonderful.”
“All year?”
“Yes.”
“How is it?”
“Better even than I hoped it would be.”
Usually when we’re done talking I can see a little spark ignite in their eyes and a light bulb go on over their heads. For me that’s the most fun. I’ve learned happily that’s there is a big difference between a rut and a groove. One is a barrier and the other is a track that takes you to a happy place and I want to share it.
Now what’s good for me may not be good for you but one thing I am sure of is that this amazing little place, filled with sweet, unaffected, generous people is the elixir that can produce something you may not have seen in a while. Your smile. So I am going to present you with a challenge but there is a condition.
You have to open your mind and your heart to the possibilities. You have to look inside and see if there is any adventure left. Any sense of wonder. Any part of you that can still scream. “YES.”
Ask yourself if the sight of the whales breaching outside your window would move you. Does the thought of endless sunshine in an azure sky excite you? Do new cultures and new friends, new sights and sounds, fill you with joy? If so, come for a few months. Leave winter behind you and come to the land of endless summer and endless smiles and warmth.
Are there things that I miss? Sure. My NYC, DNA, longs for a true New York bagel. And I miss Original Ray’s and their “New Yawk tin crust pizza.” I miss Chinatown and Sunday morning Dim Sum. But everything I have discovered here softens that blow. P.V. offers all the ingredients of a great life and then some.
Truly interesting people, lots of ex-pats, everything you could want or need often at laughable prices. My middle son is still talking about the 8 tacos he ate for $5 bucks.
Ease of communication, easy to navigate and get around. World-class medical care.
Culturally rich, P.V. is loaded with activities from jungle treks to deep-sea dives. And close enough to home to go as often as you want or have your family and friends come to visit. Which I can guarantee, they will.
In addition to all I wish for you for this holiday season and the Ano Nuevo ahead I wish you a year of personal joy and pleasure. I look at things simply now. The year will pass no matter what you do, so why not spend it filling yourself with new pleasures and new horizons?
Don’t wait or waste another second. Call Coldwell-Banker at the Marina P.V. and talk to one of their people. They will be a trusted face in a foreign place who can make a purchase or rental, full time or part time, here as enjoyable and stress–free as it can be…
As the old year closes, I will close with this. I never believed that old acquaintances should be forgotten and never brought to mind, just that new ones should be added. Make this new year really new and come share my dream
Saludos,
Irv
