Gold, Silver and Jewels

In the wee hours of the night, I lay here thinking about Gold, Silver and Jewels – about the things and people we treasure in our lives. I think about past relationships, those that had their days of glory and slipped away to become memories – those recorded thoughts that define our lives. I think about friends and relatives experiencing health issues, job losses and other personal challenges.

These thoughts have me tossing and turning in a little AIRBNB room in Los Barriles, a little town northeast of Cabo. I feel very fortunate to be here and to be feeling healthy enough to be on this journey. As we all age, we are all experiencing changes within our bodies. These bodies that were once younger, stronger and more durable. But as it’s been said, nothing lasts forever. All we have is now to make the most of it. All we have is now to appreciate our blessings, our loved ones and those around us.

This AIRBNB room is attached to an art gallery, which is attached to a little restaurant that serves healthy, gourmet food – not your typical Baja taco stand. This colorfully designed building is the realized vision of Sally Lask, a 68 year old Ex-Pat (the term used for Americans who checked out and moved to another country). Sally has lived in Los Barriles for over 30 years and has been exploring Baja with her dad since she was a child. She told me about her dad, how he once rode a burro from Tijuana to San Ignacio long before the roads were paved. She told me how he rode an old Indian motorcycle down here in the 50’s. She’s even gave me one of the last paperback books she has that her dad wrote. I look forward to reading it.

Sally has been sharing many stories with me while she painted her art – and I painted. I offered to help her fix a few things while I’m here, and one of the projects is repainting a couple of doors and door frames in the art gallery. She gave me creative freedom, so I’m having fun doing it. I guess you can say my paintings can be seen in an International art gallery! Lol.

Moments like these are the essence of this adventure; the opportunity to share thoughts and dreams with others; to see art – whether it be paintings or a wood sculpture of Don Quixote;

to ride my bike down streets in little towns with the cool air blowing through my thinning hair as I go to the mercado (market) for munchies and a bottle of inexpensive Argentinean wine. These are moments to treasure and make you want to shout out and share with the world – like time you fell in love with another person’s soul, knew it and couldn’t keep this revelation inside your head and heart.

Thank you for following me on this journey. I still have a few days left, so who knows what crazy thoughts will roll through my head before the roosters start crowing!