La Paz, Mexico
By Irene Conlan -
Today I say my goodbyes to La Paz and head back to Arizona. It is a three hour drive from La Paz to San Jose Cabo, a two hour wait at the airport, and a two hour and three minute (yes, three minutes) flight from Cabo to Phoenix. So essentially it takes me seven hours to do a two hour flight. The road down the east coast of Baja is a winding narrow road through the mountains – I don’t know the name of the mountain range. There are a few small towns along the way and cows and goats wandering along the road side looking for something to eat. There are interesting trees that I’ve never seen before, cactus forests and desert growth of all kinds. It’s an interesting, and somewhat hazardous drive but very beautiful.
It is important:
- to leave on time so we don’t have to rush
- to know exactly where to turn and which fork in the road to take because the signs are sometimes missing or not understandable. It’s o.k. to take a side trip if you know how to get back on the main road.
- to pay attention and slow down when you spot a cow or goat beside the road – they are unpredictable. Hitting one is not a good thing for either you or it.
- to look for the beauty along the way and
- enjoy the trip
These same rules apply to all of life, don’t they?
Think about it. Let’s state them another way:
- Don’t rush through life. Take time to smell the flowers, appreciate the music, inhale the fresh air, enjoy your neighbor, learn all you can, etc.
- Have a plan but be flexible enough to deviate from it if you need to as long as you can get back in sync with your major goal – your life purpose.
- There will be hazards along the way. Know that you can get around them, over them, under them or through them without damage if you approach them thoughtfully, carefully and with an open mind. Life, like cows and goats, is unpredictable so learn to roll with the punches.
- Look for the beauty along the way. Sometimes you have to look closely to spot it but it’s there. Look for the positives in everything you do and everyone you meet. We are told, “Seek and you shall find …” so if you seek negatives you will find them. If you seek positives you will find them. If you seek beauty you will find it. To paraphrase another axiom, “Be careful what you seek, because you will find it.”
- Enjoy the trip. Laugh a lot. Smile at those you meet even if you’ve never seen them before. Make friends in new places. Learn new things. Sing every chance you get. Try to find something you love to do and figure out how to make a living doing it. And don’t take yourself too seriously.
Well, it’s time to take one more walk on the beach, one last look at Bahia de la Paz, have one more laugh at the crazy pelicans sitting on Alligator Rock and then say goodbye to this beautiful place.
And it’s always good to go home again. As Dorothy said, as she clicked her heels together, “There’s no place like home.”
