A Keepsake of Mexico

Erison Taylor, one of the participants on the March 20 group, wrote about her feelings and thoughts on being part of the panoply that is Mexico. Or, as Marie sometimes says it, "you become part of the post card." Her words spoke to me...I hope they touch you too.

Brilliance
By Erison Taylor

Vibrant bird song: morning and evenings of intense chattering, chirping, and cooing as if each winged creature must fill this day's light with its music.

Wild flowers: riotous bougainvillea in cherry red, tangerine, sweet lemon, and grapefruit pink conquers stone walls and iron fences; bold red and white flags of geraniums and lilies parade along the garden walls; primavera yellow and papaya orange lantana guard the gate posts; the periwinkle jacaranda battles for attention with cerise-white mimosa trees not only amid the glorious hours of sunshine, but also by night, like spies their scents waft through the screens and catch you by surprise.

Street lives: a cloudless cerulean sky vies for attention with terra cotta, coral, fuchsia, and cobalt blue walls; the markets are saturated with beads and silver, carvings in stone and wood, fabrics with intricate embroidery, porcelain and carpets, and fresh foods of every kind available; mariachi bands whose loud bravura and staccato notes contrast with the soft, lyrical rhythm
of the vendor's voice.

The Lake: a giant silver iguana lazily glinting in the relentless sunshine or winking with a myriad of stars beckons you to look below the surface, into the stillness, and find the heart of Mexico.

Extreme Sensations: lime and chili bouncing on your palate along with iron-red chipotle, ribbon rolled candy called "dulces tipico de Chapala," molten molcajete, intense coffee, more shrill sweets in the bakery; we eat the flesh and flower of the cactus, we drink hibiscus-flavored water, and we nibble on jalapeno peanuts.

And yet, all this is not the end of Brilliance, nor even only the beginning, for each one who comes enters under the spell, the assault on the senses, and each one discovers amidst the grand, gleaming, and noisy terrain of this sub-tropical heaven the subtle emanation of another sense.

The sense that all is well in its rightly disordered, "mismanaged," and confusing entirety. In the brilliant roiling activity of life is the continuum, the heartbeat that leads each of us to our own place of peace.

We respond to the gentleness of the Mexican soul: passionate people whose hearts are brilliant and burst with love and acceptance, our own world-weariness begins to fade and we long to join the dance of life along the shore of Lake Chapala.

The see pictures of the group and what prompted the memories, click here...