Posts Written OnNovember 2017

Monday motivation: the benevolent bus driver

Hmm…Mondays, eh! I have to admit I woke up this morning with a face and mood somewhat akin to this rather grumpy-looking pooch (an old furry friend from our Panama days; as I’m sure you can imagine, finding a fellow countryman to hang out with on occasion as I tried to find my feet in a foreign land was a real treat!) What with Halloween, followed by all the Day of the Dead excitement, last week was packed to the rafters with activities, outings and social get-togethers for our little crew, and whilst I’m normally quite a fan of the…

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Mindfulness & Mexican culture with kids

View this post on Instagram The little man's pre-school #diademuertos 'ofrenda' (altar) commemorating Mexico's recent #earthquake victims. Love how kids here are encouraged to practice #mindfulness and #gratitude from the get-go, carving out time to remember, respect and pay tribute to those who've passed away, but who brought so much joy and happiness to others. This way of looking at death – as a celebration of the life that was, rather than a mourning of all that's lost – is definitely one of the highlights of this culture that has so much to offer, and a tradition we hope to…

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A splash of colour (and life’s other simple pleasures)

View this post on Instagram This is one of the more simple tombstone flower arrangements we saw on Thursday during our visit to the local cemetery for Mexico's #dayofthedead celebrations, and not really representative of the grandiose scale of intense colour, artwork and high jinks to be savoured in town over the past couple of days – yet for some reason, it's one of my favourite pictures from this oh so festive and uplifting time. In part, the bright, warm colours gave my heart a little boost, but beyond that, I think the unshowy and small-ish but perfectly formed bouquet…

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Viva la vida

View this post on Instagram It's been a bittersweet few days, quietly observing families as they took part in Mexico's traditional #dayofthedead celebrations, pulling out all the stops to commemorate their loved ones who've passed away. Here at the local cemetery, Mariachi music, truly stunning flower arrangements and exchanges filled with both laughter and sadness featured high amongst the goings-on, and it was a truly humbling experience to see how folks here pull together to pay tribute to the important things in life: namely, spending time with family and cherished friends, and focusing on the joy that these people bring…

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