maya tulum & my home....apples to oranges

That's what one of the gals said when I asked her how she was adjusting to life back in Kentucky. She told me, "Actually I'm having a harder time than I thought. I wake up and miss paradise!" We had a quick talk and both decided that to compare the two is silly and would only lead to heartbreak we continued to look at it that way. It's like comparing apples to oranges. Simply can't....or shouldn't be done. Two entirely different things.

So I was super happy when Andy and I decided to have a date on Saturday to Midway. Since we live in Nicholasville, we go a "back way" in which we wind through Central Kentucky, weaving through small towns of Nicholasville, Versailles, and Midway.

I needed to see the beauty of our home. The fences made of stones, barbed wire, and wood. I needed to see rolling hills, the green pastures, the horse farms, and the old beautiful homes. I needed to see the cows taking a siesta by the creek. And the beautiful horses frolicking in the field. I needed to hear the wind rushing in through the window and feel my hair blowing wildly around.

I needed to see the contrast of the green fields and green trees with the back drop of the blue sky with puffy white clouds. The display of green in KY continues to inspire me. So very beautiful.

And with this I finally let out a big E X H A L E. This is it I thought. The beauty that surrounds us. It's always here. Just waiting to be noticed. Much like the reading that I shared on Saturday (and below). How much (beauty) are we missing when we're making comparisons or simply rushing to and from?

Then I think back to the beauty that exists in the physical landscape of Tulum. I realized that one of my fave views is from inside the restaurant at Maya Tulum. Looking out this window and seeing the contrast of the green of the palm tree with the blue of the sea and sky. This is it. Although the photo doesn't do it justice.

It's as if the window creates this most perfect frame for a view that is awe inspiring. The simplicity of it is one of the reasons it's so dear to me. It's a complete contrast to what I see so much here of in KY.....lots of green with accents blue. In Tulum.....lots of blue with accents of green.

The grounds of Maya Tulum are so simple yet so astounding. I'm sure that there are far more fancy and "manicured" properties just north of Tulum in Playa Del Carmen and Cancun. I have come to the conclusion that one of the many reasons I love Mexico (and Tulum) is that is really reminds me of my roots of Appalachia, growing up in southeastern KY. Where many things can be so simple yet so complicated at the same time. A place that one must live in to love and (try to)understand.

This is Ricardo. Every morning he rakes the sand at Maya Tulum, making beautiful circles. It's a process that involves time, patience, and several different rakes. What he makes is beautiful and our group is so very lucky to have witnessed his craft. His skill. I imagine that he might wonder if what he does makes a difference. But it most certainly did to our group, especially Tracy and myself. Most every day we would comment on how beautiful the sand was. He was a quiet guy. Made very little eye contact. And to get an "hola" from him was a bit of a challenge. Unlike every other person at Maya Tulum.

I'm so reminded of my family at home and their ability to be creative and resourceful. And simply speaking for myself, when I left home at 18 to go to college, I was a super shy (much more so than now), quiet gal who had a hard time making eye contact and being able to assert myself in a number of different ways. I now see myself in Ricardo.

There is a certain beauty that exists that is hard for me to explain. Hard to put words to. And some people are certainly concerned about the "realness" perhaps the "rawness" of Maya Tulum. For me personally, it's those things that make me want to continue to going back. And back. And back again.

As one of our yoginis (now uber fan of Maya Tulum) says,
"What I really want other people who are considering the trip to understand is that all of the things that Maya Tulum warns about on their website: the wildlife in your room, the lack of air conditioning, the lack of TVs and radios and all of the "conveniences" of the modern age, not having a hair dryer -- none of those things matter when you step onto the resort grounds. Those were things I was concerned about: can I live without my hair dryer?? Can I really survive without air conditioning?! And ohmygod, wildlife in my room???? And I didn't think about any of those things once I was actually there. None of my concerns were valid. The rooms were pleasantly cool; I loved the fact that I fell and asleep and woke up to the gentle caress of of the sea breeze and the sound of the Caribbean crashing into shore just yards from my windows."

**Thanks to Lisa Miller for so beautifully taking a picture above that truly represents Maya Tulums tag line.....Paradise at the edge of the sea. **