Put on your Revelon Red

I had almost a minor heart attack yesterday morning as I began scouring my apartment looking for my camera. Being the eve of my departure of my epic Semana Santa trip, of which I have been looking forward to since Christmas, I panicked.  How would I convey the beauty of Lago de Atitlan to all of my friends on facebook?  I thought to myself: When was the last time I used the camera? I honestly couldn’t remember. Why had I stopped taking photos?

I found it buried under some books and papers.  I used it last when I thought I saw an exotic bird in front of my house. It was actually the neighbors’ pet that had escaped from its cage.   With a new sense of peace, I headed to my sanctuary, the beach.  The water has been crystal clear lately. The sun was shining, a light breeze was blowing, the waves were calm, and there was no one in sight. I gasped at the beauty. I suddenly became overwhelmed. It was as if it were my first day in Tela. This is my home at the moment, and it has been for many months. When did I stop being enamored by it?  A little boy, probably 10 years old, walked up with a big smile on his face. He, in his little red speedo, spent the morning playing in the sand and jumping in the waves, all alone.  He’s been here longer than I have, yet obviously has a deeper appreciation for the simple beauty than I have had lately.

I spent the rest of the morning trying to take in each sight, smell, and sound. 2 ½ months felt like a long time when I studied abroad in Mexico, but with that much time left here I now think to myself that the experience  is almost over. Of course, if I go about the rest of my days here with that mindset, then I will lose so much. God has put many people in my path here who have shown me what it is like to live each day fully.

One of those people is Nelly, the woman who used to live next door. She and her husband Alejandro moved to another house back in January. My roommate and I recently spend a Saturday visiting with them in their new home. Nelly is probably the greatest optimist I have ever met. She is living proof that a positive outlook on life can preserve youth. I was astonished when I learned that she and Jandi had  celebrated their 60^th wedding anniversary just a few years ago. This woman looks not a day over 60 herself; she’s 81 years old, yet can still, proudly sit cross-legged on her dining room chair. 

We spent the afternoon hearing stories of how Tela used to be, of their life together raising children, and as Becky and I listened, it became clearer and clearer that this woman has a deep understanding of how one should live. As she flipped through old photo albums, costumes, friends, dances, and smiles jumped out at us. What joy a photo can convey.  She told us that she used to keep a red Revelon lipstick on her at all times, (apparently in her cleavage), because “Hay que ponerse guapa todos los dias!” (loosely translated: girl always gotta look good!) She runs into people in the supermarket who are 20 years younger than her, yet are consumed by whatever pain or illness may be ailing them at the moment, and thus seem older. Nelly’s attitude is that one can’t allow old age to enslave them.  To stay in bed all day is the worst thing you can do, she insists. She and Jandi go for walks in the park, have coffee in the café, attend church functions, have friends over, and travel to Tegucigalpa regularly to see family, (a 6-7 hour bus ride from Tela). She does all the cooking, cleaning, laundry, and errands.  She proudly showed us her current embroidery project, and several others already finished including a table cloth on which we had just finished a game of rumi-cube.  This game requires a great deal of thinking and strategizing.  Nelly almost always wins. Her mind is as sharp as a 20 –something—maybe sharper, and in fact she claims that she feels better at 81 than she has ever felt in her lifetime.   We left their home that night newly inspired, and I vowed to myself that I would not succumb to the dreading of old age.

Yesterday was an excellent reminder for me to focus more on the present. I’ve had Semana Santa in my sight since January. Now it is here and I am bewildered at how fast these few months have flown by.  We as humans tend to be future-focused, especially people in my age group. We’re searching for what will come next, next, next. Before coming to Honduras, I saw this experience as a stepping stone to the next, ultimately better, thing. I felt I was making a sacrifice.  That was completely the wrong mindset, and I am so grateful to God for putting the people that he has in my path here, (and for the people who aren’t here, yet continue to be a part of my life in encouraging ways!) 

I plan to go to the beach any moment I can. I plan to take out my camera while my students work and capture their excited smiles. I plan to stop dreading Thursdays. I plan to continue to journal even when I live somewhere which seems unremarkable.  I’ll be on an adventure for the next 10 days, but when I return to my apartment in Tela, I plan  to continue the adventure each and every moment. Every day is camera-worthy; smile-worthy; journal-worthy; lipstick-worthy.