Mexico, Friends, Dentists and in Betweens

I walked around the town today. And Mexico again took my heart under its spell.

Now, I am not in a crazy beautiful Pacific ocean beach town with cacao and mangoes and coconuts around. Of course that too took my heart many months ago :)

I have been staying in a cloudy, rainy and tiny bit cold part of Mexico. And you know what, I still feel like a teenager in love.

There is something magical about the genuine mentality of a mexican. I try to find words to express that sweetness, that welcoming feeling I get to experience anywhere I am in Mexico.

The words 'bienvenida a Mexico' (welcome to Mexico) have been repeated to me so many times and in so many situations that it got deeply rooted in my heart.

Yes, there is a lot of alcoholism, drugs problems here, machismo, plastic overuse, animal abuse, rubish, general ignorance BUT!

I feel that generally speaking mexicans know how to take the most of what they have, which fascinates every time and inspires me to accept change, in whatever way it goes. They are also so totally love romantics, so many creations, songs, art, books come from that space. Yes, a bit of drama queens and kings, but that intensity just gives extra spice to this country.

These last weeks I have been visiting my friends. The ones that pass by, the locals and the ones like me, totally in love with this country. I am one very lucky girl to have beautiful friends all around the world. 🙏

After so many years moving around I feel that Mexico has opened its big wide loving arms to me and energetically I already feel like I started living here. But in the meantime I moved around to see my loved ones and feel which part of this huge incredible country I wanna come back to in April.

I had some painful problems with my teeth again and my mouth now has an extra art piece of Mexico 🤣

I have also been emotionally struggling and dealing with attachment pain, some jealousy, control and all the beauty you get if your astrological chart is full of scorpio 😂

My life is full of beauty but like everybody I have my lessons of life and some weeks in October have been dark and painful. But hey, without experiencing low, you will never enjoy the high.

The situation in the Middle East made me question our humanity a lot. October in general felt quite dark for me. And I think it is important to talk about it.

While sitting there in those dark moments of attachment pain, loneliness and sadness I learnt something.

I learnt that meditation is the medicine and  awareness is a tool to freedom. With awareness comes acceptance. Acceptance liberates. When I accept the sad, the dark, the pain, the ugly, there is no more clinging to it- that means the end of suffering.

Also, when I am in my high, in my light, in the pleasure, in the flow of everything, I should try surrender to it's temporal beauty.  Not hold on to it but fully experience it without any future hopes or wishes.

If I want to be free, I must be aware. Everything that takes me away from the awareness is a challenge for me. But at the end, I am the one riding the horse. I am the one in power.

The power is not to reject all the obstacles and challenges but navigate through them.

And rejection is just another way not to accept what already is. It's very close to disillussioning yourself.

Life is full of everything. Acceptance liberates me but that doesn't mean I am passive.

I have to find my way of helping others,my way of activism in life. But without acceptance, activism will never function.

When I accept what is, I then can procceed to 'how'.

From that space, comes true power and change. And there lies the infinite secrets of life.

The pain taught me something. And for now I still got some days to enjoy my beloved sweet intense loving Mexico.

With depth and love,

ligita

Refugees Family

Hola todos ☀️

As much as I would love to start this post with my love words to the country, that makes my heart smile and always makes me feel completely at home, I have another story to share. My love ode to Mexico gonna have to wait until the next post.

Today I started my bus trip from the city of Oaxaca to the city of Mexico. 6 hours trip, that is relatively close and comfy ride in the bus.

I was in a quite small bus station but we were quite many. Lots of people looked from other countries than Mexico and I quickly realized that most of them are refugees searching for new home to be living in peace.

I took my ukulele and started singing few songs while waiting for the bus because sometimes music is the best medicine. Few of them listened, smiled and continued their journeys.

When my bus arrived, I got in and in my seat there was sitting a man. I kindly showed my ticket with my seat on and then after a little conversation we swaped our seats as he wanted to sit next to his wife and it happened to be my seat. (Don't ask 🙈 here in Mexico from my experience they really care about the seat numbers !)

I love observing people, more like the behaviour rather than actual looks and I quickly got to like them. They seem a young quite sweet couple with 2 really friendly beautiful kids, maybe 7 or 8 years old.

We exchanged few words during the trip wondering about the next stops for our toilet breaks and so on. 

And the more I was observing them, the more I could feel them. I realized they were not from Mexico.

As we stopped in one of our toilet break stops, the guy asked me where I am from and knowing how rarely people actually know Lithuania here I just said Europe. I asked the same and he answered 'we are from Venezuela'. And then I understood what I was feeling.

They were refugees travelling all the way to the United States to get some peaceful life for their family. My heart broke and I could sense my tears coming.

We didn't talk much but I was really observing them from time to time. I found them so beautifully friendly, kind and funny to one another.

At the end of my trip I asked them more and the answers they gave me completely broke my heart.

They have been travelling for a whole month, taking different buses and sleeping at the bus stations on the floor with cardboard. A young woman, a man and 2 beautiful kids. And tomorrow they are taking another bus taking them to United States border.

They have nobody at the States, no place to sleep, no friend to give them job, nothing. They are making this whole trip to find a better life for their family and who even knows if they can enter.

This story shook me strongly so I gave away a big bag of some home made chocolates so the kids can enjoy and wished them luck.

But as I was walking away I had an urge to go back and just give them some money. A little something but at least to cover their food for the day.

The woman was so happy, she gave me this incredible hug that broke my heart. I felt so sad for them but was deeply praying the Universe to help them out. I felt like they were my family.

I choose to travel, I choose to sleep on the beaches from time to tome, have adventures. I have warm hostel bed, vegan food in my belly, I have friends around, language skills to move around, I have a job I love that pays me well and these people are crossing thousands of miles without even knowing what is there for them in USA.

I didn't grow up with money or in a luxury privilege but somehow I reached the state now where I am completely abundant.

And I complain sometimes that I didn't sleep well or mosquitos are biting me or whatever other white privileged girl may complain about.

This beautiful family is just a tiny little drop in the sea of refugees nowadays.

When we pass people that we think they might need some help, let's not turn away. We never know the stories, we never know why that drug addict homeless soul is there on the street. We don't know the suffering of another but we are always capable to share something.

And it doesn't have to be money, sometimes it is just an honest smile or an eye contact that may make another feel some kind of hope in this life.

I pray to the Universe to shower abundance to all of us, so we don't need to run away from our homes, so we have healthy food in our stomachs, roofs over heads, jobs we like and that feeling of belonging, and harmony within.

My heart is with that family that is now sleeping on the cardboard while I am writing this blog post, showered and ready to sleep in my bed.

😢

Moving Around

Hola queridos!

It's been nearly 2 weeks of me moving around. First Italy, then Spain. Both short trips and quite different. 

Italy, more specifically Puglia region, opened its arms with vast dry red sand fields and crowds of olive trees. Friendly italian men tried their best to give me some compliments in their broken english, so sweet!  My belly was happy with some great vegan italian gelato but I had to put an effort to find italian food without cheese and eggs. The beaches made me laugh with its paid access, I often feel very sceptical when you have to pay to enter the beach.

I camped in a relatively cheap camping and felt like a little tourist. My days consisted of swimming, walking, visiting random towns and eating. A privileged traveller! I bathed in expressive italian language and was reminded again how generally speaking the looks of your clothes are so important here. I missed hippies a little! Dear friends of Italy, where can I find them next time I visit? The stunning architecture of Bari and Monopoli towns blew my mind. I felt taken back in time, some hot hazy afternoons getting lost in narrow cobbled streets.

Puglia has charmed me a lot! ✨

And Spain visit was for work. 

10 years ago I met a special soul there and we both then knew that our friendship will bring some future creations. And here we go, 10 years later, me creating edible magic in the kitchen and her making it all happen, teaching, inspiring. The yoga retreat was a magical time. An intense and hard work but so rewarding and in the most beautiful villa in Andalucia!

To be back in Spain feels like coming back home. I still remember its flavours, smells and sounds. 10 years ago I completely fell in love with its South. Andalucia seduced me with its colours, intense heat and flamenco sounds. So being here this time brings the sweet nostalgia of an old lover. 

But like everything, things in life constantly change. And my soul yearns to be back in the land of Mayans. The land of cacao, the pelicans, its cultures and spices. My big love.

Tomorrow is special not only because I turn 33 or because of equinox but also because I take my wings and fly accross the ocean. I will be in Mexico for the next 2 months. You know how much I love that place. If you find yourself there, on the side of Pacific, write me. I wanna share that magical love this country gave to me.

Nos vemos en México!