Ahhh… back in the warm embrace of Casita Colibrí.
A few days before leaving the Bay Area to return to Oaxaca, I spent a chilly, but crystal clear day in San Francisco with two old friends attending the wonderful, but crowded, Japanesque: The Japanese Print in the Era of Impressionism exhibit at the Palace of the Legion of Honor and having a delicious lunch at the Mandalay, a Burmese restaurant. A picture perfect day, I took the scenic route, through the Presidio, back to Mill Valley
… and was overwhelmed with appreciation for the perfection of the scene before me; a much needed tonic to the relentless wet, gray days and multiple circumstantial challenges I’d been experiencing. And so, I boarded the plane on Saturday feeling refreshed, with a sense of renewal in the opening days of 2011.
Once in Houston for a five hour (ugh!) layover, I settled into a comfy seat in a quiet corner of an airport restaurant for a long lunch. And then, I glanced up at the TV and was confronted with breaking news of the Tucson shootings. I wish I could say I was surprised, but I wasn’t… just sickened and incredibly saddened.
Most reasonable, thinking people teach their children that words have consequences; that it is irresponsible to cry “fire” when there is no fire in a crowded auditorium. And Buddhism teaches that “right speech” is the first principle of ethical conduct. Venomous rhetoric, from people like Glenn Beck and Sarah Palin, incites irrational fear and inflames unwarranted passions, especially amongst those who feel disaffected. Thus, I say I wasn’t surprised.
At last, I boarded the little Embraer… even more eager for my return to southern Mexico. However, the news there wasn’t good, either. The friend who picked me up at the airport relayed the news of more political killings in Oaxaca. No escape.
However, geckos are chirping, the pinks and oranges of the setting and rising sun against the mountains paint a magnificent mural, hummingbirds are flitting from one succulent flower spike to another, and I’ve got a mariposa beginning the arduous task of emerging from its pupa.
The words from a 1960s era poster come to mind, “You can’t stop the waves, but you can learn to surf.”
Renewal…
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View From Casita Colibrí 