Temporarily Out of Mexicoma

"Be grateful for marriage" - That was my response when I arrived at my sister's home in Canada a few weeks ago for vacation.  I opened her fridge and said, "Wow, what a difference from a single person's fridge!" - it was totally stocked!  Then I went straight for the liquor cabinet for my "welcome home" drink, and found an abundance of unopened bottles of booze.  I said, "I love being in married people's homes, they have every kind of liquor you can imagine!" (because they don't drink as often as single people I suppose, or maybe they just don't have time?).

I've underestimated the kindness of Canadians.  I often complain that Canadians are boring, too disciplined, not adventurous and not-so-friendly.  On my morning walks in the city or riding on the metro, most people are tuned out with their headphones on, looking down at their phone and won't look up to see my smiling face and rarely say hello unless I say it first.  So I amuse myself by imagining little scenarios to get their attention.  Mostly, I dream up things like ambushing them with a WWE wrestling hold or extreme dives, somersaults, running up behind them for a leap frog piggy back.  It’s not likely I will ever act on these fantasies, but they do keep me smiling while everyone else is disconnected.  I'm just used to Mexicans who are always in the present moment, who acknowledge me, look me in the eye and say, "Buenos Dias, how's your day?"

But today that all changed.  I was walking in the small retirement community of my parents, Population: 1,000 (that's including cows and deer) when we came across a man out walking his dog who had a sign outside his home that said, "Honey for sale".  I asked him, "Do you really sell honey here?"  His eyes lit up and he started talking about his real passion - bee keeping, then invited us in for a cold Cariboo Genuine Draft beer and sat us down to watch a documentary on June the Honey Bee…I was so impressed how these country folks just welcomed us into their living room and they don't even lock their doors at night.  I miss this type of trust and hospitality that Canadians have.  I caught myself counting my change at the store the other day and then I realized, "Oh, I don't have to do that because the people are honest here".

Deer are friendly and walk around freely in the backyards of people's homes

My Mexican friend explains it this way: I grew up surrounded by rainbows, unicorns, nature, lakes and waterfalls, and in Mexico she grew up with crime, corruption, poverty, garbage and pollution.

I just love these country folks, they're always bringing over saskatoon and rhubarb pies, tending to their gardens or spending all their free time making jam or canning vegetables and the people are so fat here!  

One of the neighbours asked me where I lived and when I told her she threw back her head in laughter and said, "Oh ya, everyone runs off to get married in Mexico, either that or to get killed!!!!"  Then she proceeded to tell me about the Canadian guy who fell off a balcony at a Mexican resort and they found him in a tree upside down "dead as a gnat" ~ these are stories I have to hear over and over about Mexico.  My advice to them is always the same: "Just don't lean on any balconies".