Starting the Day with Gratitude

I got up early this morning for no particular reason, and I realized how much I love the quiet of the city that finally and completely shuts down around 4 am. Cars with sound systems blasting with windows rolled down, call it a night at the ‘witching hour’ by some and ‘time to talk to god’ by others. It’s peaceful, and the clock doesn’t move as fast toward my deadline as it will in another couple of hours, when I will be late (after 9 am) posting this column.

I am wondering how Paco Ojeda’s family is coping with his sudden but apparently peaceful death, at 61, a few days ago. I don’t even know what family is here – brother? Sister? Cousin? And how can I/we help? I know Paco’s kitty, Luna, whom he adored, passed away a short while ago, but I had not heard if he got another cat to keep him company during his morning broadcasts of ‘Coffee and Headlines.’

And, of course, when a friend or colleague dies suddenly, we are reminded of our own demise that is undoubtedly coming. Are we prepared? The old adage, ”Get your affairs in order” should loom large for all of us expats living here in our cocoon called Puerto Vallarta. We live in a foreign country – that Last Will and Testament you had drawn up in Toronto 20 years ago is great, but only if you die in Ontario or possibly in another part of Canada, but it won’t fly in Mexico. And, I learned recently from Sandra Bradley, Vallarta Mirror contributor, that wills are deeply discounted during the month of September in Mexico. I had mine written up a few years ago, and my sister Patrice (my Executrix) knows where it is in my house. But how will she cope with that in a language she doesn’t speak? All these little things.

I have to make a list of passwords. I have to get rid of S-T-U-F-F that I no longer use or need in my life, and what I have left of that.

My 74th birthday is in two days. I only make a ‘fuss’ for the ‘5s’ and zeros, so next year, I will have a party. Assuming I am still here. If I’m not, will someone think or remember out loud that November 9, 2026, would have been my 75th birthday, and does it matter? The answer is yes and no. The remembrances are what make us human. The fact that we CARE about a birthday. Or a death day. An anniversary. Or just Monday.

Every day that we have the privilege to walk softly on Mother Earth is a gift worth celebrating. So, start today and get your life in order. Begin with gratitude, then put pen to paper, so to speak, and make arrangements to take care of your pets and the things that could make someone else’s life better or more comfortable when you won’t need them anymore.

Have a love-filled weekend, everyone, and smile because you can.