At this crucial time in history, when staying home is of utmost importance according to health experts, it really does shine the spotlight on our most intimate spaces. Our homes, our towns, our famlies, our own creativity, and wishes for the future. Quarantine definitely brings with it many challenges for so many of us, but it also holds hidden blessings. This time spent in reflection of what we truly want for our future when we all go back out into the world, is going to help us all going forward be more focused on achieving our dreams.
I can’t help but be so grateful for the chance to quarantine here in such a beautiful town that offers glimpses of daily blue sky from my indoor office space. Sea birds sail past my bedroom window and butterflies flutter around my balcony giving me hope for the future.
A short walk to my neighborhood “tienda” allows me to pick up the essentials like freshly made tortillas and farm raised eggs. Fresh vegetables and seasonal fruits are still arriving on time from surrounding farms in rural areas. Mangos are starting to turn orange and purple on the trees throughout the city. Spring is our “windy season” which means a cool sea breeze comes to visit our house every afternoon around 3 pm.
My neighbors are all practing social distancing or “la sana distancia” as they call it here in Mexico. Facemasks and giant dispensers of hand sanitizer are the norm, just like most places in the world right now. My neighbors are still as kind and friendly as ever, exchanging waves and chatting across front yards about the current reality.
I am so grateful to be here, held in the warmth of a town that has such a sense of community. Helping one another out is a way of life for everyone that lives in Vallarta. We will get through Covid-19 and be stronger than ever!
As always, there are ways to help:
Vallarta Food Bank: https://vallartafoodbank.com
Corazon de Nina: fundacioncorazon.mx
How are you doing during the quarantine proccess? I would love to hear from you.
Just a bit of background: Francie N. was a Vietnam refugee who worked her way into a major high-fashion buyer for a NY chain. She had “made it” but left it all to help other refugees in both schooling and as a volunteer at a soup line. Jimmy is from small Willis, Texas, where neighbor helping neighbor is the way you are brought up in a town of 6,000. His partner, Francie Victoria, is a vibrant young Mexican cancer survivor who is beyond enthusiastic about helping others.
A: “Really well. Without exaggeration, we save lives daily. We are feeding families that are so poor, they do not have the documents to receive government help. We are talking houses made of cardboard. The city is helping a lot too, we even have daily support from the police! We are also dispensing masks, gloves and sanitizer for all. We have increased the number of families fed from 50 our first week (just over a month ago) to 1,080 last week. We are also supporting 18 kids with cancer who cannot leave the house. It’s pretty amazing.”