I’m Not So Enlightened Yet

Off to Mexico tomorrow.

I understand the value of not escaping your personal issues, but I also believe there are propitious places, places that encourage you to live more truly and deeply. I’m still looking, not desperately — I’m too busy in my inner world for that — but I like the effect foreign places have on me.

I’m also a bit of a wanderer, or so I’m told. I will probably be on the move for the foreseeable future, although I would love to find that one golden place where my soul can come to a rest. I do have to think of my dotage.

Of course I like having a home with books and my paintings on the walls, but the adventure of new foods and languages, of history and a different way to be human is always attractive. There are ways to get that mix of things in your life, but it’s harder on a budget as limited as mine.

I’m torn between growing where I’m planted, as they say, and exploring the world. Always feeling a bit too unadapted to your native culture is both a curse and a gift. It’s a curse when you’re young and everybody thinks you’re weird, but it’s an advantage when you’re older and can get away to places that inspire you.

Places have a soul, they have a particular spirit. If you are sensitive to that kind of thing, you may discover your own genius. You do have a core energetic…