Dear Universe: In my next life, I want to be a 15 year old Mexican Girl.
I cry over everything.
Seriously. Not sure what happened but 8+ years ago, when I hit the 30 mark, the floodgates opened and I effectively made up for all the previous years spent mostly NOT crying.
Now, it’s on. Commercials, music, friendly moments with strangers. Anything can get me going.
Last weekend I escaped to a city I’ve been longing to visit. If you follow me on Instagram you got slammed with photos of my meanderings through the lovely, linda, y super limpia Queretaro (and if not, here you go).
I did all my favorite things:
Ate vegan tacos
Took 294 pictures
Museumed
Walked 10+ hours a day
Stumbled upon an aqueduct
Saw no less than 1,000 absolutely FABULOUS Quinceanera dresses in a variety of glittering hues
Found a bar to comfortably drink mezcal for dinner, alone
I experienced countless magical moments.
Someone gave me a pink rose on the street.
Someone else gifted me a beautiful, handcrafted silver ring(which I promptly checked for a tracking device).
On the Day of the Virgin of Guadalupe, I got delightfully tangled up in a parade in the tiny pueblo of Bernal. Pick-up trucks, decked out in balloons, colored lights and statues of the Virgin Mary slowly cruised around a little plaza as devotees followed behind, singing and reciting prayer. And then there was me, an overly-sensitive gringa, filming and crying and contemplating my veganism amid the captivating smell of fresh pan de queso, an incredibly sweet and doughy cheese bread.
On Saturday night I danced and sang Santa Baby while a super adorable college choir performed a Christmas concert in the city center.
I fell in lust with Olivier Giroud while housing a plate of guacamole in a flower-filled courtyard bar during the France-England match.
In an attempt to buy guavas, I accidentally crashed a morning church sermon that was taking place inside the local market.
I lost my only internationally-functioning credit card and realized it at the bus station as I was trying to buy a ticket back to Mexico City. Which led me to an ATM, where I quickly discovered that the machine was out of cash. Doesn’t sound magical, per se? Confirming that I left the card in my Airbnb instead of somewhere on the streets of QRO was, indeed, a miraculous discovery.
Oh what beautiful moments. I cried over every single one.
EXCEPT.
The lost credit card.
I know that we, as humans, are hardwired to focus on the negative. It takes work to unravel those pathways. When I’m in a rut, I start focusing too heavily on the bad. It’s time to shake things up.
By the time I lost the card, my mission had already been completed. Queretaro reenergized me, sparked my creativity, even lost me a couple of pounds. It left me lighter, brighter, less anxious and more positive.
So here is my tried and true and completely unsolicited advice for the times you feel nervous or negative or stuck in a rut: go on a little adventure.
If you have one afternoon: Go for a bike ride in an unfamiliar neighborhood.
If you have one day: Pack a lunch and go for a hike in the nearest park.
If you have one overnight: Book a hotel somewhere within driving distance that you’ve never explored.
If you have one weekend or more: Visit me in Mexico.
And if you are one of the lucky ones who had a Quinceanera, please send pictures immediately.
With love,
Bethany
