Barra de Navidad, Jalisco

Nothing Taken for Granted

Nothing Taken for Granted

This is one of our favorite quotes, as we apply it to travel. All is fine with us. The red zone shelter in place order has been lifted and the town is waking up and resuming normal life. We went out yesterday afternoon to patronize a local restaurant, and though things were slow, folks were out and about. Today for the most part should be "normal", whatever that is. Talking to locals here, they are indeed rattled--this sort of thing hasn't happened around here at this scale before. We need to realize that as travelers our presence here is discretionary. Our concerns are small compared to the region as a whole. For most folks, there's nowhere to go but to make the most of what they have, here. For locals, they, their friends and family, are at more risk, most certainly. As far as we know, no civilians were harmed in the events of the past few days, but quite a few military and national guard members lost their lives, and who knows how many from the other side. This is serious business, of course, and many Mexican families are mourning today. Of course, it is also unclear how this will all play out going forward. For now, we plan to stay here as planned until April, patronize our local shops and restaurants, and live our lives in this beautiful and welcoming place. For my part, this is exactly the sort of place I have dreamed of living for years and years, and so we are going to make the most of it, and if possible, we'll be back for sure. And now, gratefully back to sipping coffee under palm fronds in a cool morning listening to the birds and watching the sun come up on another lovely day. Life is good--but we take nothing for granted.

Life is good—but we take nothing for granted.
Now: the Southlands
Morning—and southward
Next stop: Twain country
South along the river
One more night in town
And then the plan went sideways
Now turn up the music
Keep driving south

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