Friday, June 26, 2015

look for small pleasures


Yesterday, fellow blogger Joanna left the following comment: "I have always thought that the sky is like a huge ever-changing canvas. Sometimes the cloud formations, the light, the alignments of stars and planets are so beautiful they seem unreal."

That is exactly how I felt on Wednesday evening after enjoying a plate of chicken Marsala.  Not your usual Mexican fare -- even in La Manzanilla.

This is what greeted me when I stepped out of the restaurant.

Now, I know I have posted a lot of sunset photographs.  But not very many pre-sunset shots.  This one struck me as being rather unusual.

The color played a big part, obviously.  Our sunsets around here tend to run toward shades of mango or apricot.  The tints that enliven the umbrellaed drinks of the cocktail set.

But it is far more than just the color.  Everything that evening conspired to say: This is one special tropical place.  The sea.  The palm trees.
  The fishing boats at rest for the night.

I live for these moments in Mexico.  Where a group of circumstances come together for one, brief magic moment.  Only to quickly fade.

The number of amazing sunsets I have seen here must number in the hundreds -- if not the thousands.  But each one of them has been special.

But no more special than watching the children on my street just being kids.  Or the older woman with leathery skin I saw walking along the street the day before yesterday, whose eyes belied the fact that she had captured some beautiful secret of the cosmos.  Or the waiter who had just had one of the best days of his life and wanted to share it with me.

Why do I live here?  Because I am thankful that each morning I will arise to some conflict that must be subdued -- and that will be outweighed by a little miracle.  A place that keeps me stimulated -- and content.  Every day.

I'm certainly not trading in this "ever-changing canvas" anytime soon.

 

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