By |

IMG_1776

A wheelbarrow used by the groundskeeping staff of the Iberostar Tucan in Playa del Carmen ~

Every morning, before sunrise, the white, sandy beaches are raked and groomed in preparation for the resort’s guests who will soon be frolicking in the ocean, lounging in beach chairs, snapping photographs and playing volleyball. This ‘garden’ tool is used to carry the shovels and rakes needed to complete these daily tasks and to collect the grasses, seaweed and other detritus brought in overnight by the warm Caribbean waves that roll in, crashing onto the shoreline hour after hour, day after day. This magnetic and irresistible force drew us out of our cozy, comfortable beds each morning in anticipation of this remarkable element of nature.

And thanks to the groundskeepers, it was lovely, inviting and alluring – a tropical paradise.

By |

IMG_2259

Thick, heavy, frayed, knotted and coiled – much like how many of us feel at times due to varying degrees of gluttony, inactivity, stress and uncertainty. Pulled too tight and we’re constricted, restricted and unable to move in any direction. Yet, too much slack and we’re rudderless, with no motivation or intent to do much of anything. We flounder and stagnate in the process.

Finding that balance, that middle ground, to reach a place of agreeable tension – a propulsion of sorts – can be both challenging and reassuring. And quite necessary to our growth as individuals as we work toward finding our way in the world.

By |

IMG_1908

We saw this imposing fellow, sitting atop one of three small, crumbling structures, two days in a row as we toured the Mayan ruins just outside of Playa del Carmen. The first day, it was just my husband and me and then again when Bill’s brother and his wife – newly arrived in Mexico the next day – wished to check out the area as well. I think he’s rather beautiful, exquisite and quite handsome, in a rugged sort of way.