Cactus: Endurance A cactus is a member of the plant family Cactaceae The word "cactus" derives, through Latin, from the Ancient Greek kaktos, a name originally used for a spiny plant whose identity is not certain. Cacti occur in a wide range of shapes and sizes and most live in extremely dry habitats, subject to at least some drought. Cacti are native to the Americas, growing wild from Patagonia in the very south to Canada in the far North. Their spines are called areoles which defend them from predators and additionally help prevent water loss. I could go on but basically they are very complex and clever plants; they have to be to survive the harsh environments they call home. I think the past month has been one of the longest of my life, i feel like i've been gone for years. My travels usually span over many months so im not sure why this one has felt so long. It may seem absurd that a month in beautiful Mexico could be seen as a challenge but for me and my strange ways, it was. The days were often difficult to fill, i was overwhelmed and so anxious about anything and everything. But despite how bad i felt, i rose each morning bright and early and met the day head on. I walked out to meet it and tried to make the most of the day, in whatever way i could. I experienced some magical moments; swimming through a cave in azure water with bats an stalactites overhead; watching the sunrise from my hammock in Mazunte; seeing wild dolphins playing in the ocean, to list just a few. The Earth is good to us. The most enjoyable times for me are often quiet hours reading, long walks along the beach, wandering through markets stalls and spotting wildlife. I'm a seeker of simple pleasures and humble tastes. I wouldn't say that my time here was an endurance but it sometimes was and here i am at the end, several shades darker, full of avocadoes and with sunburned lips but very ready for whatever is coming next. What i am ready to endure is the next vital steps in my life and the inevitable difficulties i'll face.I trust that it will be worth it in a way that prolonging this trip was not. There are cactus everywhere here, big and small. Growing wild, in pots, in cracks of buildings, all over. There are even cacti forests! Some are huge and spiky, others are small and round, some also have flowers. I ate nopales a few times too and quite liked it. Wasn't spiky at all : ) I feel a bit sorry for them to be honest, they are a dry, batterred bunch. Must be hard living in parched, exposed places. But they grow there because the Earth knows that they can handle it. And they do. Maybe their quiet fighting spirits helped me through my weeks here. I like to think so. We are not like plants, we're rootless and free to roam the earth on our humble little legs. I do think that this liberty has its disadvantages though. Humans are a complicated species; our wandering minds and restless souls dont afford us the peace our plant sisters have. A cactus is a cactus and endure it will because it has no choice. We have a choice, we can put up with a situation we are unhappy with or we can take action and change it. The options can be confusing rather than freeing, with so many possibilities how can we know what is the right choice?
We are blessed to have these choices, to be able to wander and get lost, to stumble into the unknown, to discover new horizons. It's a privilege to be able to do these things, they remind us we are alive and the world is our playground. Life is precious and unpredictable and the only person that can live it is you. Stay, go, run, hide, skip, swim- for us the options are almost limitless. The choice is yours and at the end of the day life is for enjoying, not enduring so if it makes you happy, it's totally completely right. Don't be parched and exposed like a cactus unless you want to be, there is no good reason to allow yourself to be sad. I head home knowing that I made the choice to go back to what i thought i didn't want; Scotland and routine. Its me that makes me unhappy, i see that as clear as day now. Nothing will change unless i change. How many times now have i flown off to a new country only to be disappointed that i didn't "find myself" or a sense of purpose there. I'm not going to, never was and never will. Each experience teaches me deep lessons and forces me to look inward, despite my inherent avoidance of this very thing. This is a journey of the soul and i cant escape it. Me and the cactus, standing together enduring the life that was given to us. There is beauty to be found when we make it through hardships, when we don't turn away from what must be faced. Enough of the running away, its time to discover how to be at peace with myself. Muchas Gracias Mexico y cactus. Now for the journey home- bus, plane, train, bus. Bracing myself for the cold.
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LittlebirdJenna. Free spirit, flower enthusiast, seeker of truths. Archives
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