home sweet home

Everything in my mind says go, go, go! Oaxaca, Spain, Japan, India, South Africa, the American West, and more. But my body has been telling me to slow down. Carsickness, heat sickness, diarrhea. No more traveling! it tells me. Take your coat off and stay for a while. Sit still. It seems my body aches for a certain stillness, one where my roots run deep into the ground, a place where my life is intricately tangled.

We have finally moved into our casita here in San Pablo, right in time for the celebration-filled week of Semana Santa. I am hoping that growing a few short roots here in making a home will redress the balance of my tired muscles. Today Ian and I put up posters. Now we’re thinking about making furniture. Next week we’ll be helping to build our bathroom. And there’s always the stove that needs to be carted up the mountain from the center of town. Here we have a beautiful view of the valleys and peaks and it’s cozy and warm at nighttime. Currently I’m in the front yard, listening to the breeze push the trees around, watching the few meandering clouds drift over the landscape. A lavish turquoise lizard suns itself on the rocks next to Ian, who is lost in the words of his journal. The ground is soft and there’s room to plant the stillness I need to rebuild my weary stomach.