Neighborhood | Tulum town, Mexico

Bright sun, golden light, and my own shadow to disrupt the pictures.

Last night to Ora and this morning to a class of yoga friends, I made a commitment to say only words that are KIND, TRUE, and IMPORTANT. Hard, but good.

“Three things in human life are important: the first is to be kind; the second is to be kind; and the third is to be kind.” – Henry James

I’m choosing to start with kindness. To spend time with loved ones. To travel to sweet places on the weekends. To reevaluate what really matters. And most of all to make the choice to see light (*light as bright and beautiful as this).

A Brief for the Defense

First day of the new school semester.

These past few days have been incredibly heavy, dark, and troubling. It is hard starting a new semester with this much weight, but I know things shift, change, and improve.

This photo was taken in Tulum, in stillness and silence.

Sorrow everywhere. Slaughter everywhere. If babies
are not starving someplace, they are starving
somewhere else. With flies in their nostrils.
But we enjoy our lives because that’s what God wants.
Otherwise the mornings before summer dawn would not
be made so fine. The Bengal tiger would not
be fashioned so miraculously well. The poor women
at the fountain are laughing together between
the suffering they have known and the awfulness
in their future, smiling and laughing while somebody
in the village is very sick. There is laughter
every day in the terrible streets of Calcutta,
and the women laugh in the cages of Bombay.
If we deny our happiness, resist our satisfaction,
we lessen the importance of their deprivation.
We must risk delight. We can do without pleasure,
but not delight. Not enjoyment. We must have
the stubbornness to accept our gladness in the ruthless
furnace of this world. To make injustice the only
measure of our attention is to praise the Devil.
If the locomotive of the Lord runs us down,
we should give thanks that the end had magnitude.
We must admit there will be music despite everything.
We stand at the prow again of a small ship
anchored late at night in the tiny port
looking over to the sleeping island: the waterfront
is three shuttered cafés and one naked light burning.
To hear the faint sound of oars in the silence as a rowboat
comes slowly out and then goes back is truly worth
all the years of sorrow that are to come.

– Jack Gilbert

 

Ruins | Tulum, Mexico

More proof of why 2013 rocked.

Mayan ruins in Tulum.

The other afternoon I attempted to make sense of more photos and get organized. These came up and I wanted to share a little more of Mexico and remember the absolute beauty of this place. I visited the ruins on a day it was incredibly sun-soaked (*entirely different than it is today in NC).

I’m beyond happy and grateful I had opportunities to see and experience places (*like this) in 2013 and I’m excited to see what the new year brings.

I hope and plan to travel (*often) and continue to take far too many photos for my own good.

On eternity

Road trip –> Mexico

“Those who are willing to be vulnerable move among mysteries.” – Theodore Roethke

There was something in Mexico that really spoke to me.

I still don’t know what that something was. . .  and I think I’m okay with not knowing.

If I am honest, I liked Mexico far more than I thought I would. I was excited about going, but I wasn’t sure it was going to mean something to me. . . But it did. It meant a lot. It was gorgeous, full of life, and endlessly fun.  I took these photos in the backseat of a truck and I find there is no better way to see a place than a spontaneous road trip.

I am always interested in moving and the art of moving. I like these photos because they were all taken while the car was moving along the road between Tulum and Bacalar.

Laguna

While in Tulum, I met Fernando and Renato. These two became close friends over the course of a few days and I ended up inviting myself to join them on a road trip to their gorgeous house and hostel in Bacalar. The lagoon they live on is incredible and mystical and within a day, I became somewhat obsessed with the place.

If you ever find yourself in Mexico and want to get out of the over-crowded, not always quiet areas in Quintana Roo, check out Bacalar and especially Casa Tortuga Bacalar!

It is a place I’m missing and would certainly rather be right now.

Arianna + Mau = Married | Tulum, Mexico

In early October, Arianna + Mau were married on a gorgeous nature reserve in Tulum, Mexico. The day was filled with lots of love, laughter, and happy tears. Everything was beautiful and I couldn’t stop myself from taking thousands of photos. Arianna + Mau’s wedding was perfectly them and it was an honor to be a part of such a special day.