It's Friday! Most people's favorite day of the week. It's payday, it's the start of the weekend and for some, an off day. Although it's great, it's not my favorite, Mondays are. Monday is my day to rest & rejuvenate. I do absolutely nothing that you would label "strenuous" or "work". There is no cooking being done, I don't do any chores, nor do I answer phone calls. I'm owed this and I'm totally ok with it. The kids fend for themselves or call in delivery. When I call for my delivery I eat in bed. No cares, no worries. The kids also don't have any issues with it, they understand the assignment. This one day sets my entire tone for the week.
This week I had a coffee meet up with a couple expats here in the Yucatan. One new friend suggested Barrio Vivo, a hostel/cafe in the quaint and quiet part of Centro. I've never been but was excited for great coffee, nonetheless. It was about a twenty minute drive from where I live but I like to get out, drive and learn new places. I pull up and park right on side of the cafe. The sun is glowing today, it's beautiful. There are a couple horse & carriages and all the birds seem to be in harmony. I walk in and I'm immediately greeted, staff at Barrio Vivo are extremely polite, people you would hang out with on the weekends. One guy went on about going to the movies to see the new Spiderman movie, I was *this close* to saying, "Hey, you wanna take my daughter with you", but snapped out of that quickly since I don't really know folks like that. Merida is safe, but I'm still cautious. And just like her mother, she would also prefer to choose her own friends.
The place is very inviting, you are greeted and welcomed even if you aren't renting rooms there. To the right of the entry way is an open space with seating and a bar. There is an absolute beautiful window which offers the best lighting, easy breezes and calm thoughts. The furniture is lovely, original to the culture of Mexico. I would love a set in my home. There is also a working piano in there. Around the corner from the bar is a pool with hammocks, tables to eat and connect on and a cool map for you to acknowledge where you originated. Unfortunately I can't go on about the living quarters since I won't be patronizing that part of the facility.
The meetup was natural, everyone was thrilled to see new faces. After all the "Hi's", "Hello's" and introductions, we placed our orders. We ordered various hot and cold coffee's, cappuccino's and assorted teas. Yes, I went in and ordered all of that. The cappuccino was the best I've had thus far, the kind where you instantly close your eyes after that first sip. It's like inhaling good energy and exhaling the bullshit. In that short moment I felt still. The conversations between cappuccino's consisted of fashion, real estate, a quick how-to on completely detaching from the states and what is required of oneself to make these dreams permanent. We also discussed plants, architecture of the cafe and socializing with the locals. We further chatted about how everything we've ever needed has always been in us. I appreciated those convos, they put me on a good path to understanding my own self worth. These are the energies that I need in order to strive in this lifetime, no more bitterness, negativity, no more of having other people project their fears onto me. I'm also speaking to you, the one who's reading this.
So after that first cup I ordered another, soon after that I tried a cold brew, never in my life but today I gave it a chance. Um, it was different, served over ice of course, with crushed pineapple and lime and a bit of carbonation, super weird but I actually enjoyed it. Hours went by before someone mentioned that they were hungry, and following suit, I felt the starvation. We agreed on Chinese food and ordered through *Rappi, a dependable delivering service, think Uber Eats or Instacart, but a fraction of the cost. I use them FAITHFULLY with zero complaints. The food was actually tasty, rice, chicken & veggies, just like your favorite corner store market. We ate it right in the hostel.
We sat for anther hour and was then invited to visit one of my new friends, newly constructed casita. When we got there we were in for an enormous surprise! He's a plant daddy, a black plant daddy living in Mexico. He has an entire vivero, "nursery", in his backyard. I was thrilled, not only to be invited but I was able to purchase new plant babies. I felted welcomed & acknowledged, I also felt appreciated, his energy was pure and he didn't mind letting me know that his spirit was grateful. It resonated with me with no needed explanations. We spent more time chatting and even more time absorbing each others positive energies. It's now time to accept and move on.
The party doesn't stop yet, I get home and I'm immediately greeted with love from my children. They are, without question, the dots to my "i's". I was still amplified so we set out to ride our bikes before the mosquitoes clocked in for their night shift of annoyance and savagery. After that we went inside for riddle time, riddle time is corny, but they all love it, it's cheap fun, a huge plus. Random thought, I still haven't gone back to the gym I signed up for, hell, who's counting those days anyway? I'm not, *pops a snack*. We laughed together, and the little ones told worse jokes than they did riddles. Mom hack, this is a great way to introduce and encourage kids to continue reading. For us it was newspaper comics, for them, internet memes, times have drastically changed but the concept is still the same. Before bedtime but after showers I let them play on their electronics, this gives me time to work on my little facial treatments. Consistency is key because it's definitely working for me, I see great improvements in just a couple weeks.
Well, like a face, I'm beat. I take my melatonin, grab my sleeping mask and just like that my day is finished. "Alexa, play Zara McFarlane", if you haven't gotten into her, please do yourself that favor. Overall, my day has been fulfilled. I remained in a peaceful mental state, I chatted with good people and made my belly extremely happy. These are the moments my soul has been craving. In those moments, as few and far in between as they once were, I'm at the point in my life now where I can experience that on a daily. Stay easy ya'll, steel your mind, be selfish with your peace and never again pour from an empty cup. Until I write again, Frenchi A-Blog I miss my daughter.