Musings from the roadways

July 1, 2007

Well, I should be getting used to dogs by now but I still cannot say that they are my favorite. I have been staying at a couple’s home in San Pedro and they have 2 dogs, one of which is quite big. They both want attention which I will sometimes give but not with great excitement on my part. I feel rather bad about that, but…

Yesterday I went to a nearby town to visit a girl who is working with Environmental Education. It took me a while to find her but eventually we met up and went for a hike to a nearby creek and dam. The mountain views and smell of fresh cut pine, made a beautiful setting for a hike. I did come close to facing death on the return hike though when a mango chose the exact moment that I was passing by to fall within a foot of my head. I heard the sound of one plummeting through the leaves and did duck. In the mornings at camp I run through the “graveyard of rotting mangos” where they have all been crushed underfoot omit an odor that is not the most pleasant.

The other lesson I learned while driving to the town of Azacualpa yesterday was that when turning right onto a road you have to look to the right to make sure that no cars are passing from the opposite direction and coming directly towards you. I could have had a close call but thankfully saw the car in time and it pulled back into its lane.

Over the course of my travels this past week I passed many people walking along the highway with loads of firewood on their head or in a cart or perhaps they were on their bike with several people. Often it was in the intense heat of the day or in a downpour. Every time I passed such people, I would feel bad for them and wish that I could stop and offer them a ride. But then I began to realize that one of the reasons I feel bad for them is because what they are doing is so slow. It takes hours to cover a distance that would take minutes in a car. And to me, who is used to moving quickly and trying to be efficient, their long journey appears agonizingly slow. Yet they may actually be content with their pace of life and my offer of “help” might in a sense ruin that contentment. There are times when I am sure help would be appreciated and a very good thing, but I need to change my perspective that the fastest way between Point A and Point B is the best way. (Indeed I do like stairs better than elevators and escalators, but that has more to do with setting my own pace than depending on the pace of the elevator and I like to compete with whoever is taking the “fastest way”). There is a lot to be gained from a more tranquil pace of life. Anyway, I think I have some more processing to do of this whole idea.