2017 Ecuador * Doubt in Paradise * January 22

I soon realized that no journey carries one far unless, 
as it extends into the world around us,

 it goes an equal distance into the world within.  

~Lillian Smith

“What am I doing here?” 

 

The dusky pre-dawn light struggles to reach my bedroom window that is at the bottom of cinderblock well between buildings. The insipid light barely touches me as I lie in my bed and wonder again:  What am I doing here?

I arrived in Ecuador a couple days ago and this morning is my first in Cuenca, high in the beautiful Andes Mountains.  I stir in my bed, slowly waking.  Doubt often waits for these quiet moments, when consciousness is not quite full, to pounce upon me, like a bothersome cat that jumps on your bed to stick its face in yours and aggravate your final moments of sleep.  The best thing to do is take a couple of slows deep breaths, brush the creature off your bed, get up, and move. 

Yes, my friends, there are doubts even in paradise.

Once I do begin to move the dawn fully lights the sky and my ears open to hear the lilting songs of the birds and the roiling melody of the mountain river, then life returns to my heart.  Doubt slinks away to its shadowy corner and joy filters in.  A cup of coffee adds a boost.

I am in Cuenca, Ecuador, a mid-size city, veined with five rivers flanked by greenbelts, dotted with manicured green parks and lively markets of various sizes and wares.  The city is safe, friendly, alive, and eclectic.  Local people of Spanish and indigenous heritage intermix with a sizeable “gringo” (foreigner) population.  Buildings represent styles from colonial to modern.  City sections are run-down, under construction, traditional and comfortable, or shiny new with a foreign influence.  

Increasingly, the day becomes bright and clear.  The sunlight lifts my spirit and the river waters soothe my soul.  The mountains in the near distance offer peace.  To live here is to experience all these varied things .. these soul-enriching aspects of the city … and the people .. the remarkably diverse people. 

So my pre-dawn question is answered: THIS is what I am doing here – I am exploring the assortment of people, earth offerings, and new experiences.   

I am encountering Life.

Facebook photo album:  2017 Ecuador #1

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