Simple Magic All over the place – Slow journey at our eco-lodge in Mexico

My son opened our entrance doorways this morning and located this superb moth unfold out on the stone walkway—owl eyes! On my jungle hike simply now, I noticed hearts within the leaves. Simple magic in all places. You simply should look 👀.

Yesterday morning supplied one other quiet reward. As I rolled out my mat for my pre-dawn exercise, the sky was nonetheless darkish—solely the sounds of the jungle and my breath. Just as I settled into my motion, a taking pictures star flashed throughout the sky: vivid, unmistakable, and gone straight away. A valuable second, gone in a second.

Life right here has a method of providing these reminders quietly. Not by means of large moments or dramatic gestures, however by means of small, fleeting experiences that invite us to decelerate and see. My kids pausing in marvel on the doorway. The mushy symmetry of coronary heart formed leaves alongside a jungle path. A short flash of sunshine throughout the sky earlier than daybreak.

Living at an ecolodge in Mexico has taught me that simplicity isn’t about lack—it’s about presence. About designing life in a method that leaves room for marvel. This is one thing we take into consideration typically right here, each as a household—three generations dwelling collectively on the lodge—and as stewards of this land.

Slow journey in Mexico, at its coronary heart, is about giving your self time to reach. Time to note the main points. Time to let a spot reveal itself slowly. It’s waking with the sunshine, strolling with out an agenda, lingering in conversations, and discovering pleasure in moments that weren’t deliberate.

Sustainable journey in Mexico naturally follows after we select this slower method of transferring by means of the world. When we’re not dashing, not consuming, however really experiencing the place we’re. Caring for a spot turns into instinctive after we really feel related to it.

There’s a narrative I like—typically known as The Mexican Fisherman. In it, a fisherman chooses to fish simply sufficient, spend time along with his household, and nap in a hammock every afternoon. When advised he might work more durable, earn extra, and sometime purchase again that peaceable life, he merely smiles—as a result of he’s already dwelling it.

The following is my model of the parable of the Mexican fisherman (initially written by German author Heinrich Böll):

An American businessman was vacationing in a Mexican village when a small fishing boat landed on the seashore. A whistling fisher- man hoped onto the sand and unloaded a number of mahi mahi (dorado). Impressed, the American requested the fisherman how lengthy he’d been out on the water.

The Mexican appeared up from beneath his sombrero, smiled, and replied: “Only a few hours. I catch what I need—a couple for my family to eat, a couple for my friends, and a few to sell—then I head home for siesta.” The American scratched his head. “But what do you do with the rest of your day?”

The fisherman responded, “I surf with my kids, lounge in the ham- mock, sip tequila, dance with my wife, then play guitar and dominoes with my amigos. Oh sí, señor, I have a rich and beautiful life.”

The American raised his eyebrows, “Well, you know, I’m a business consultant, and I’d be happy to advise you. If you spend more time fishing you could buy a bigger boat. Then you could catch more fish and maybe even have a whole fleet of boats! Then, you could open your own fish market and your own cannery. You would control everything! You could leave this little village and move to the city where you will run your growing business.”

“How long would this take?” the fisherman inquired.“Fifteen to twenty years,” the American responded.“And then?” requested the Mexican, eyes extensive.“Well, when the time is right, you would sell your company and become very rich.”“Rich?” the fisherman responded with a doubtful chuckle. “Yes!” the American stated, “Then you would retire. Move to a small fishing village where you would surf with your kids, lounge in the hammock, sip tequila, dance with your wife, then play guitar and dominoes with your amigos . . .”

I shared that story in my ebook, Wildpreneurs as a result of it captures a query many people carry: why will we so typically chase a future model of life, when what we’re actually eager for is already accessible—time, connection, and ease?

The jungle right here asks that query gently, repeatedly. In owl eyes resting on the stone path. In hearts hidden within the leaves. In a taking pictures star you may miss in the event you’re transferring too quick.

These moments don’t remedy every part. But they soften us. They remind us that magnificence continues to be right here, that marvel nonetheless exists, and that gratitude grows simply after we permit ourselves to decelerate.

And possibly that’s the quiet invitation of gradual journey at our eco-lodge in Mexico: no more experiences, however deeper ones. Not extra doing, however extra being.

Simple magic, in all places.