My husband and I woke up this morning and took a stroll down to Rustica, one of our favorite cafes in San Miguel.

There, among the plants and trees and tinkling fountain, I thought about how lucky we are that we can amble along and that we have such a lovely place to do it.

Not everyone can do so.

Almost everyone can walk. Some plod or trudge along, some power walk, others move quickly forward with long purposeful strides.

Many are doing it to get somewhere.

Walking is a necessity for some, they have no other way of getting around. Bus routes don’t work in their neighborhood, or along the route they need to take. The timetables don’t coincide with what they need to do. A car has broken down or is non-existent in the first place; for whatever reason. Continue Reading…

It is five-thirty in the afternoon.

Glenn and I just got home from a walk we started after my Wednesday writer’s group.

We didn’t really have a set path to follow. We just entered town and walked.

At the outset, I was tired, hot, and slightly annoyed. But I knew we needed the exercise. And I needed to spend some time with my husband. We are both trying to lose a bit of weight. Walking is necessary.

We followed tiny roads near the top of town down to Cinco de Mayo, then came along Salida Celaya back towards Centro.

At home, we had broken a few glasses. Typical clear, heavy Mexican ones. And we needed to replace them but were in no hurry to. We would find some eventually.

So we meandered. Continue Reading…

Oh, my god!! It’s the bells!

At first, I was oblivious to the sound until it went on for a bit. Then the significance stopped me in my tracks, brought me out to the terrace, and with tears in my eyes I raised my iPhone to record.

Maybe it seems like a small thing. Churches and their bells are synonymous with Mexico.

To us, they ring in weddings, festivals, religious holidays, and note the passage of time.

But I hadn’t heard them like this in San Miguel since the start of COVID-19. Continue Reading…

Glenn brought home American cheese a few days ago, and I got a craving. Fried egg sandwiches, good ‘ole comfort food.

This morning Glenn showed his culinary artistry and viola, yummy, with the right amount of gooeyness. Simple to prepare and happy, happy, joy, joy to eat.

We brought our coffee, sandwiches, avocado and fruit plate out onto the terrace, played some get up and dance African tunes, gazed, and sighed over our view of San Miguel de Allende spreading to the other side of town.

We moved into our current rental a little over a month ago, the view a major selling point. Five terraces offer a multitude of viewpoints depending on which floor of the house we settle on. But the main floor terrace, off the kitchen, with dining table, umbrella and chaise lounges is where we most often park ourselves. There’s a little overhang that protects us for a while from the beat of the sun’s rays. But by afternoon we must pop back into the house for a bit of relief. We have a large window and sliding glass door onto the terrace, so when we sit at our dining table we still have our marvelous view. Continue Reading…

In 1989,  Ray Oldenburg coined the phrase “third places” in his book The Great Good Place, which I read in the nineties. The book made an enormous impact on my life and determined what I seek as the perfect environment to thrive.

Our town of San Miguel de Allende with its cafes, outdoor seating and courtyards, library, parks, beauty, and rough around the edges welcoming vibe has proven to be exactly what we envisioned for our happy place. It is, as they say, a “community living room,” a third space.

Humans need contact and community, and third places are public spaces that promote the exchange of ideas and building relationships while having a pleasant time. They are equalizers or strive to be. Social and financial status shouldn’t come into play. And an email address or fee is unnecessary to join.

Continue Reading…