Life is the world’s biggest reality check. In a world full of daydreamers, escapists & romanticists, nothing is more brutal to a person’s imagination than their own reality.
When I was a young kid I used to help my mother, a Spanish teacher, get her classroom prepped for the upcoming year of new students. I remember one summer it was my responsibility to hang posters on her wall. One poster was of Machu Picchu, the ancient Inca city in Peru. I remember being trapped in a trance just staring at this poster, wondering what this place was.
“Mom, what is this place?” I asked.
She turned to see the poster.
“Oh, that’s Machu Picchu. It’s in Peru. I’ve always wanted to see it,” she answered.
I knew then I wanted to see it someday.
She was a traveler. I know she was. Back in the 60’s & 70’s the idea of a woman traveling wasn’t normal. Especially alone. Though she did it. A white girl from Wisconsin. She spent years living in Mexico, teaching English to Mexican students, but not officially, or should I say legally. But we’re talking Mexican standards of legal. Not the USA’s. I would ask her if she was ever afraid. She said no.
“How come,” I’d ask.
“Well, I guess I was afraid to not live my life,” she replied.
She loved Mexico. She used to tell me how much she loved the culture and especially, the people. She also fell in love, married, moved back to Wisconsin, had me, and almost simultaneously, stopped traveling.
The woman I grew up with was a teacher & mom first. She did everything she could to support her family and put all her desires to the side. Though, if I ever wanted to see a different woman we had these large red photo albums with old pictures from her younger Mexico days. She was younger, much prettier & you could see her happiness. Mexico looked happier too.
As a family, we did travel, mainly road trips and there was the annual trip to northern Wisconsin. That was fun, but limited. Traveling wasn’t always expected, but they were my favorite times.
Yesterday I was with my mom. She’s now retired, in her 60’s, and her knees are gone. There was some back & forth talking between us and I remember asking her if she still had interest in traveling to Mexico. She took a deep breath, and the reality came through in her voice.
“I think my traveling days are behind me,” she said.
I tried my best to not let if affect me.
