From the Outside, Looking In - Part 1

One of the purposes of this trip is to begin to learn a new language. The greater purpose is, perhaps, beginning to learn a different culture - a small glimpse at another small slice of life on Planet Earth. In some ways, the the time is passing too quickly. In other ways, it seems as though we have been here for a very long time. There are things I miss about home, but there are also many things I am learning to love about life in Mexico. I will have a hard time giving up some of my recently discovered new ways of living.

Each day, the Universe seems to present me with new questions. The dialogue goes something like this:

ACT I

Scene 1

UNIVERSE

[ A booming James Early Jones type voice ]
Student of life? Are you ready to listen?"

ME

[ A small, squeaky mouse voice ]
"Are you talking to me?"

UNIVERSE
"I am always talking to you. You aren't always listening. Are you ready now?"

ME
"Yes."

UNIVERSE
"What is time and how should it be spent?"

ME
"I don't know. Please tell me."

UNIVERSE

[ Sternly but lovingly ]
"It is for you to figure out."

ME

[ whisper ]

"I will try."

Mexico is offering multiple lessons in time. Time as I know it, is different. I might ask someone, "What time does the parade start?" They reply "Oh, ten or eleven."

This doesn't mean they don't know what time the parade starts. It means that the parade will start sometime between ten and eleven. There seems to be no such thing as tardiness. Whether I am attending a parade or have scheduled a time to meet with an individual, no one seems to be in a hurry. The said gathering patiently waits for the last participant to arrive and then begins. Ain't nobody hurrying nobody. In fact, it seems to be an important cultural trait NOT to rush a fellow human, at least in the colonial area where we reside. Perhaps the inner metro area is different. This non-rushed attitude is very different from my concept of time at home. Of course, this is just what I see from the outside looking in.

The question of how to use one's time also seems a bit different, at least in my neighborhood. Many people here work very hard for very little money. It astounds me that Manuel of Manuel's Tacos, just a beans throw away from my front door, seems to employ about four other people besides himself. This seems to be accomplished by selling fifty cent tacos for about six hours per day depending on the rain.

Two young men arrive sometime between 6 a.m. and 9 a.m. seven days per week and begin setting up the stand. Manuel and co-chefs come later, at a non-specified time, and begin cooking. In between bursts of busyness as well as during the rush, the team seems to genuinely enjoy being together. When you order your taco and then immediately offer to pay, they say, "Please, sit and enjoy. Pay after you are full."

We are greeted multiple times during the day as we come and go. I feel like Manuel is always watching over "Casa Contenta" for us. The taco stand is disassembled, leaving no trace of its existence, and everyone heads home for the 3:00 main meal. This is how they spend their days - in fellowship with one another and with any hungry hombre that approaches. No one seems interested in climbing the corporate ladder of Manuel's Tacos, nor does becoming wealthy seem to be a priority.

I have to wonder if I would be a more peaceful person if I used my days like this instead of being inside the hurricane of senseless busyness where I normally reside. For many of the people I observe here, "Give us this day our daily bread" is granted and that gift, served with super size portions of companionship and conversation, all happening at a gentle pace, seems to be enough. Of course, this is just what I see from the outside looking in. (Tommorow, the Universe has asked me to contemplate generosity.)