As I sit next to my altar and practice my meditations this morning, I erupt in unexpected, raucous laughter. Primarily at the realization that I am blowing my nose with a roll of toilet paper that I keep there, just for that purpose. Only in a place so raw, so down-to-earth, and majestically exquisite as Peru do we honor such simplicity. I laugh even more at the thought of my mother, who was raised a polite, southern Baptist, would scoff at me carrying a roll of toilet paper around with me as an essential accessory …instead of a tube of lipstick or a hairbrush.
I love how it’s quite customary for someone, local and foreigner alike, to be consumed with amazement at the towering mountains and to revere the Apus (Mountain Spirits) with immense pride and wonder. I love burning candles, almost exclusively when it’s dark out (as opposed to turning on the way-too-bright single exposed, overhead bulb- because there aren’t 75 different types of lightbulbs to choose from, as many of us are used to).
I’m entertained …and slightly horrified… of the showers you sometimes find here… because the circuit breaker is on the wall INSIDE the shower with you. I love the local women selling the most incredible, vibrant flowers by the roadside on the way into the Sacred Valley… and buying choclo from others… the local “corn on the cob,” with gigantic kernels, traditionally served with a fat slice of salty Andean cheese…
I love how this simple life keeps me present, and basic human necessities are never taken for granted. Procuring food from the market, cooking with familiar -yet distinctively different foods- while simultaneously trying to eliminate any expectations of the meal you’re attempting to prepare. Walking to town… or riding a mototaxi (a fun little motorcycle thingy with a box and a bench) for weekly errands becomes your everyday life, living in a small village.
Existing on the crunchy edge of paranoia about food, water, health, and hygiene… because of how deathly ill I became the last time I lived here for 11 months, keeps me on my toes. Balancing divine trust in my intuitive guidance while practicing the fiercest level of self-care I can muster… (in ALL ways of my day-to-day living) is my daily charge. I absolutely love the simplicity of my life… and sometimes I pine for the luxuries of easier living. Even though I spend a fair amount of time on my computer working, my life in Peru contains so much less distraction! And inspires a deep appreciation for the simple pleasures in life, such as a hot shower after going three unexpected days without water.
I love the conversations I have, practicing my Spanish- mixed with much humor- with my delightful new local friend, Rumi. He is the kind man that brings me bottled water and switches out the gas tanks when the shower suddenly runs cold. Living amongst Spanish-only speakers and successfully communicating, keeps me just outside my comfort zone and brings me a sense of accomplishment and great joy. I haven’t spoken a word of Spanish since 2014, (and it often shows!), feels like a couple of lifetimes ago…
I love how the beautiful house I am blessed to be currently living in has a peach tree covered in soft, sweet peaches and the most impressive carvings of symbols of Andean cosmology on the wall above the stones. But most of all, I love how drawn to this sacred place are people of like-heart, awakening to their magic! One does not have to seek far or wide to find another sister or brother who is just as awed by the beauty of a day-in-the-life in Peru.
