Day Six: Be Authentically YOU

Day six, already... Ok- It has been months since I posted about my experience, but I will just take my time doing this! We are so busy with life lately! Planning an all women's retreat, coaching girls hockey, playing hockey and looking for land to build the next adventure!

It was a long and relaxing day. We started out with making our left over dinner into hash with some fresh eggs for breakfast. Hash could be made from anything left over. Just add some oil to the pan with some onion and what ever you have sitting in the fridge. Bill and I make it a lot at home and although he isn't with me, I am thinking about him and the girls often. Bill and I started dating this year. He is a single dad of four girls. We have grown pretty close over the past few months.

After breakfast I went for a walk around the Laguna. In an earlier post I said it was one and a half miles. I lied! It's totally one and a quarter miles. When I got back I was dripping with sweat so I cooled off and got in bed to watch TV. At 3 pm Gia and I went for a walk to our new favorite place here for some traditional Mexican food.

We started the say so late, but after our late lunch we got a call from Cynthia Rodriguez, a fellow single mom from the Single Moms Health, Wealth & Freedom Facebook group. She's been following me for some time and decided to leave the Merida area (where we will be heading to in a few days) to come visit with us. She let me know her and the kids were in route to the Island.

Vámonos Muchachas y uno muchacho (how'd I do there). We were so excited to share a day with Cynthia and the kids. Something I have learned from COVID is that virtual friendships can turn into REAL LIFE FRIENDSHIPS. We are living proof of it!

Gia and I got dressed and met them at the beach. We stayed well past sunset and the kids enjoyed swimming in the dark. I on the other hand was a bit creeped out by this. The boats were in the water, lights shining into the water. It was really spectacular to see, but not my cup of tea. What's lurking in the water after dark? Needless to say, I gave it a go for a little while, because we just don't grow from our comfort zones. After playing in the water for a few hours we went to eat dinner and from there we just relaxed on the beach before taking them down the Ally we discovered on our first day, filled with restaurants and shops. We finished the evening with ice cream. Everything closes by ten, due to COVID. Even with early closing times, Gia made some friends and I could tell being in the water was much more fun than ever before!

Today's lesson, be your authentic self, don't change for anyone and be open to sharing your story or a piece of your life with others. Friendships can blossom! Or to say the least, your taxi driver will give you his card and discount in the future!

Everyone I talk to who is local, I've told them why I'm here. I ask if they speak any English and I tell them I'm trying to learn Spanish. There is something rewarding about the conversation that happens after the small talk. Maybe they give me a restaurant recommendation, or they tell me where I need to go next. It's all interconnected and gives me a lot of hope that kind people are out there!

It's interesting for me to see Gia's point of you of me being such an open and giving person. Its actually a struggle for me. I'm met with her constant embarrassment, name calling and misguided sense of how you build friendships and connect to others. From Gia's perspective, being open with others is a downfall, it's not ok and she sees is as a betrayal to those I love.

We had to have a talk about that today and what my bubbly personality means to me! I'm hoping she can understand and maybe one day relate to this more. I wonder if she is taking it all in and learning from my interactions.