Day 1191 Mexican Sunrise

 

This photo makes me laugh every time it pops up in my memories. It was taken during our trip to Mexico—yup, that tandem kayaking trip! We had met a couple from England and spent a few nights enjoying dinners and cocktails together. I introduced them to the espresso martini, and they were stunned that an American gal could teach a couple of old Brits anything about drinking.

As the four of us carried on partying, we agreed we’d wake up early and meet on the beach to watch the sunrise together. Looking back, we probably would have had better luck just staying up until sunrise, but we were optimistic. I woke up bright and early—at least half an hour before sunrise—threw on my bathing suit and a cover-up, and tried my darndest to wake Tim. He wasn’t budging. He barely opened his eyes and mumbled that he just couldn’t do it.

I wasn’t about to stand our friends up, so I set out to the sandy Mexican beach in the early-morning darkness all by myself to meet them… sure, that’s safe! I found a lounge chair in the sand and, no doubt looking as if I had slept there all night, settled in to wait for our friends and watch for the sun. I waited… and waited… and waited, until finally the sun peeked over the ocean in a brilliant display of color. I watched the most incredible sunrise all by myself.

Apparently, our friends had the same mindset as Tim and likely imagined the two of us having a romantic morning on the beach together. Nope. It was just me, sitting solo, watching the sky explode with color and the pelicans fill their bellies as they dove for fish. I sat there for a couple of hours, feeling like the only person in the world lucky enough to witness that morning’s splendor.

Eventually, Tim wandered down to check on me, snapped this photo, and told me how wonderful it had been to sleep in. He’s much more of a sunset kind of guy. That Christmas, he even drew me a comic strip of our adventures—one of my favorite gifts to date… even if the sketch of me looks suspiciously like Amy Farrah Fowler. WTH.

Looking back, that quiet, accidental moment alone became one of my favorite memories of the whole trip. Funny how the best stories rarely go according to plan.

 “We must let go of the life we have planned, so as to accept the one that is waiting for us.” ~ Joseph Campbell