Tuesday, August 23, 2011

United Border of Beauty~

A few days ago I ventured outside of America for my very first time, and while not traveling very far, just on the other side of the border in Tijuana~ there was something very magical taking place. To some Tijuana may be a city of danger, dirtiness, crime, rubble, and an eye sore. To me it was an amazing area of beauty and culture where the shift was felt when stepping foot out of the truck and connecting to the land, feeling the bright hot sun on my face and shoulders, the breeze blow my hair back and welcomed by the locals with bright smiles and LOVE. Our journey started by crossing the border and driving through the city which gets flooded every year during rainy season due to its location at the bottom of the river valley. Tijuana's landscape is extreme with land dipping low and rising high. Houses are built upon poor foundations and the continuous building on these poor foundations leads to crumbling houses in the landslides that claim lives each year. The estuary that you see while driving up the steep hill through the city looks beautiful with densely packed trees and colorful terrain. From afar it looks clean. However, when immersed in the depths the trash that litters it is immense and a huge problem. The Tijuana River flows through Mexico for most of its course and crosses the border at the end of its course where it forms an estuary that empties into the ocean. Here, in this spot are actually the last of undeveloped wetlands in San Diego County. Here, is also a lot of pollution, garbage, and tires. On our descent down  we headed to  Las Playas where the farmer's market took place, a small, bright market newly started and the only one in the area, perched above the deep blue ocean.. A beautiful group of Aztec dancers were performing sacred ceremony, drumming to the heartbeat of the Earth. While smoke from burning Copal sap (a sacred sap used in spiritual ceremonies to connect to the higher spirits) enveloped me I watched and felt the special ritual taking place. There were dolphins playing in the water, pelicans joined them and the day was beautiful! The journey continued on through Tijuana's rugged landscape. While exploring the hills and canyons I observed many tires stacked to form retaining walls to keep from causing further erosion, if not packed properly they will not do much good and the Earth will continue to wash away as the weather whisks through. This is a lot to witness and take in coming from somewhere where we pretty much have everything and anything we could possibly imagine. These people in Tijuana may not even have a stable structure to house them or water readily available, where we have houses that aren't even lived in because of foreclosure and are sitting ducks. But, you know what? Every native I passed there shined a big smile on their face and their family was close by. There were little girls holding hands, skipping down the dirt roads, men with their families driving around in their pick up trucks waving to us as we explored, and our new friend Jorge showing us very proudly, his nursery, Vivero de planta nativa hormiguita. The nursery had native Nopal cacti, Mexquite Trees, Higo (figs), cilantro, chilies, bountiful amounts of the most sweet delicious mini yellow tomatoes, rosemary, an assortment of squashes, and so much more. It was a really beautiful place to be and I am thankful for being able to experience being there.  In the same location as the nursery there was the home 4 Walls International built out of tires, bottles, very little lumber, and a stucco made with the gelatinous slime of the Nopal cactus. Right on! There was also a built-in rain water catchment system along with a tank to recycle grey water. The next step is to create the composting toilet. The bigger vision is to create a community of these homes~using the tires and bottles that litter the city to create sustainable homes where people are sufficient within them. A big garden will be created where the home's grey water will feed into providing a lush garden for the community to nurture and eat from. It's a beautiful plan and one that will happen because the people at 4 Walls are dedicated and driven to making this vision come true. I have heard for years that Coca~Cola was better down in Mexico and while I do not fancy soda I did have to enjoy a nice refreshing glass while peering out into the vast canyons of Tijuana witnessing galloping horses in the dust.  It was all part of the experience, and it was damn good. Despite the 'poor' way of life there I felt a lot of beauty and much happiness.  The realization that really hit harder than ever for me was that in order to survive we must have 4 things~ shelter, food, water, and love. This is it. Everything else is extra. I'm not saying it's not nice to have nice things like raw cacao pudding but it is not essential, unless of course you do have a cacao tree then you are blessed and I would like to live with you. If you don't have it you don't miss it and even when you have it it doesn't mean much. Material possessions are just things. They aren't living or breathing. If everything was taken away from you what would you need? Could you survive on the very simplistic notions of these 4 elements? Life can  be full of abundance poor or rich. Happiness and love lie within each of our hearts. We have the choice to nurture that light inside so we may share it with others. Love drives life, it does indeed. Our focus should be on the food we eat, the people we surround ourselves with, the APPRECIATION of every gift we receive spiritual and tangible, and the openness of our hearts to fully give and receive love. We are all connected and here to help, teach, and share with one another~we must live from compassion and work together. We must know that we are of the Earth and that the beauty of the cycle of life is dependent on one another. Look in nature~everything works together to continue to thrive. The water from the rain feeds the tree, the flower on the tree blossoms, the bee feeds on the flower and pollinates providing sustained life for the tree and oxygen for all. Work together and create beauty! Thank you to 4 Walls for your hearts of gold and drive to change the world! May each of you change the world in your authentic way!


'We have entered a period in history that is prophesied by many cultures as a time to leave behind a colonizing world view and recognize that we are one community, a fragile species living on a tiny planet. These prophesies are consistent with the shifts in policies that we are now witnessing throughout the corporate world and the world at large.' -John Perkins


Mucho Amor,
Earth Mama


Check out 4 Walls International online by going to their website. Please donate to this amazing organization!  http://www.4wallsintl.org/

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