WHY MEXICO: Home, Not Exile [6-minute read]

People keep asking me why I have chosen to live in Loreto Bay in Baja (BCS), Mexico, for over half the year. Given the time, expense, and inconvenience of international living and travel, living in another culture, they wonder why I chose here.

They also wonder why I deal with the many difficulties, unforeseen costs, uncertainties, and breakdowns of living in a hand-built Casita home within a tiny community on the Sea of Cortez.

And invariably, people bring up all my own considerations; "You're going to be eighty in April. You are far away from the services and resources of the U.S. What if you have a medical emergency? What do you do for fruit and vegetables? How do you maintain two residences? Your Spanish is terrible."

All true.

But for me, this is a place and space apart, "Far from the Maddening Crowds," as Thomas Hardy named his book.

Loreto offers me a place:

·? ?to "be" and rest

·? ?to walk in beauty undisturbed

·? ?to write

·? ?to read

·? ?to reflect

·? ?to sink in the harmonies and rhythms of the natural world

·? ?to hike and walk in the mountains of the Sierra de la Giganta

·? ?to breathe clean air

·? ?to feel the ocean breezes

·? ?to dismantle myself from the tensions of politics where truth and integrity have no meaning

·? ?to spend time with the Blue and Gray Wales and the dolphins and the organic experience they provide

·? ?to be in silence without interruption

·? ?to laugh till it hurts with intimate friends

·? ?to go to Pedro’s for Tequila Tuesdays

·? ?to allow the Muse to awaken

·? ?to witness magnificent sunrises, sunsets, stars so visible, and the moon so bright

·? ?to be within the Mexican culture, where kindness, appreciation, extended families, and true neighborliness exist

·? ?to discover and learn: to receive the teachings of patience that I need to cultivate, given the uncertainties of life and growing old

·? ?to keep up with the seasonality of my life, recognizing what and how to let go

·? ?to spend uninterrupted time with my teachers, living and dead, whose videos, recordings, and online interactions deepen my learning

·? ?to cause a renaissance in myself as an elder so as not to enter the dark ages of growing old

·? ?to preempt the valley of rejection, the path of regression, and stagnation's depression that comes with growing old

·? ?to watch my dog Ajax, love the beach

·?????? to genuinely appreciate this life, the life I have left

·?????? to remember in life, I’m the guest, not the owner

·?????? to understand "this is it," no matter what I want or think

·?????? to recognize my life has a drop-dead ending

·?????? to feel the connection with the cosmos more deeply

·?????? to be in a place where people say Via Con Dios and indeed mean it

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·????? to fulfill Gandhi’s requirement: “Be the change you wish to see in the world.”

·????? to figure out how to evoke growth, wisdom, and inner change in others

·????? to continue to create for myself the distinction of contemporary elder and make this manifest in the world

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Becoming an Elder

by Cathy Carmody

Leaving behind my journey of struggling and racing through the white water of many rivers, I become the river, creating my own unique way.

Leaving behind my self-imposed role as a tree upon which others have leaned, I now become the wind, with the freedom to blow whenever and wherever I choose.

Leaving behind the boxes I've created in my life, crammed with roles, responsibilities, rules and fears, I become the wild and unpredictable space within which flowers sprout and grow.

Leaving behind the years of yearning for others to see me as somebody, I soften into becoming my future, with permission from SELF to continually unfold as I choose, without concern for how others may see me.

Leaving behind years of telling and teaching, I become instead a mirror into which others can peer and view reflections of themselves to consider.

Leaving behind the urge to provide answers for others, I become – in the silence of this forest retreat – the question.

Leaving behind the rigor of my intellect, I become a single candle in the darkness, offering myself as a beacon for others to create their own path.

I become an elder.

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BEING IN THE SILENCE

“We need to find God, and he cannot be found in noise and restlessness. God is the friend of silence. See how nature - trees, flowers, grass- grows in silence; see the stars, the moon and the sun, how they move in silence. We need silence to be able to touch our souls.” – Mother Teresa

Loreto offers me that silence.

BEING WITH THE STARS

The stars instill a sense of wonder and awe in me. The vastness of the universe mesmerizes, making me feel connected to something much more significant than myself.

The stars remind me of how small I am in the grand scheme of things, putting my daily worries into context.

The beauty and mystery of the night sky inspire my creativity.

These stars I am with have existed for billions of years, offering a glimpse into the past and the future, creating a sense of eternity, and reminding me of my minuteness and finiteness.

I often experience a spiritual connection or cosmic consciousness, seeing the stars as a bridge to a higher understanding of the divine.

The stillness brings about a sense of serenity and quiet contemplation.

And when I am followed by my Moonshadow, my soul’s silent companion appears.

THE MAGIC OF LORETO

To live in the stillness with unperturbed quiet. To walk among the epic Saguaro cactus and many of its cactus siblings: the pipe cactus, the Galloping cactus, the hedgehog cactus.

To walk under and around the Honey Mesquite, Lychee, Trumpet, and heavy-laden Mango trees.

To look around and up at the intense flowering plants on the many roof gardens on Casitas’ second and third floors.

And when you look up, you see the many varieties of palm trees, lining the “paseo,” giving the trade winds their sound.

The exact place to create a transformational program to help best people leap from older to older. I shall use Loreto’s magic to create my magic.

QUESTION ANSWERED

And now have answered your question, “Why Mexico?”?

It’s a blessing bestowed. One for me that I sometimes struggle to deserve.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WcSJ1tHwQYo

ANNOUNCEMENT

Welcome to the Grow Old as an Elder Program

Imagine a place where the passage of time is not something to fear but something to embrace—a place where aging becomes a transformative, sacred experience.

This unique program will surround you with an environment of wisdom, calm, and purpose—the energy of ancient knowledge mingled with modern understanding—in a magic place of sanctuary for reflection, growth, and deepening of one’s spirit.

The boundaries between past, present, and future dissolve, leaving only the experience of being fully alive, fully aware, and fully able to experience being an elder—a new state of being.

In this program, we embrace what it means to grow old as an elder, not simply as one who ages but as one who transcends time. The elder within is revealed, nurtured, and empowered through guided practices, communal wisdom, and individual reflection.

Here, transformation is not only possible; it is inevitable.

February 16th, 17th, 18th, & 19th

Loreto Bay, BCS, Mexico

Registration and details October 2024

The program is limited to 15 participants

Note*—In numerology, 15 is associated with personal growth, transformation, and pursuing meaningful goals. It also represents a life path emphasizing independence, self-reliance, and adaptability—perfect for the transformation from older to elder.