Plumbing and poetry ...

The early week buzzes by. On Monday my carpenter arrives, a few days later than originally planned. He is going to custom build a shelf for my microwave “on the spot”, giving me more counter (worktop) space. He will return next Monday to replace our curved kitchen window ledge, which was rain beaten during the hurricanes and now is showing signs of deterioration. Custom “on the spot” built items are the norm here and can even cost less than you would pay for flat-pack.

The harsh sunlight and heavy rains here are tough on exterior fittings. If they are not kept up to scratch, decay soon sets into to exposed wood and metal – its like painting the golden gate bridge, (or forth road bridge depending on your location) the maintenance never ceases.

On the new palapa sundeck we add another line to the plumbing to prevent a washing machine located there from becoming the main feature. They also install a shiny new breaker (fuse) box for the palapa sundeck and I am glad to see they have installed a strong, capable looking box with multiple switches without needing prompting. Excellente!

On Tuesday my house plumber/electrician arrives early (plumbers here are always electricians! and vice-versa). I joked previously about him disappearing but he is in fact a very dependable guy. A forward thinker and one of my key workers. He chooses to be a plumber but can also turn his hand to other trades.

We had worked out that we may be able to remove more of the maze of plumbing pipes in our dive equipment drying area while installing our new “whole house” water filter. Im also installing a backup to our tankless water heater … overkill you might think but you can never have too many backups on Cozumel! I stress the need to leave me with water on at the end of the day. I have lost my water supply from the well while the pool work is in progress and will only have a trickle of water from the street supply until he is finished. I say this tentatively, knowing my plumber’s home is a rental and entirely without power. He will need to manually haul water for everything at his house.

The difference between the extranjero (foreigner) lifestyle and that of the locals is notable. There are so many levels of lifestyle here and yet we all seem to mix without envy or animosity. The Cozumel crime rate is extremely low. It’s a western arrogance to assume everyone wants to be us. The more humble lifestyles here show us how much pleasure we have lost in our convenience and wealth driven search for that “better life”.

And since the tone today seems to have become meditative, I will leave you with a slice of culture from this side of the world.

A poem by - Jorge Luis Borges
(get your hankies out… !)

Instantes (Moments)

If I were able to live my life anew,
In the next I would try to commit more errors.
I would not try to be so perfect, I would relax more.
I would be more foolish than I've been,
In fact, I would take few things seriously.
I would be less hygienic.
I would run more risks,
take more vacations,
contemplate more sunsets,
climb more mountains,
swim more rivers.
I would go to more places where I've never been,
I would eat more ice cream and fewer beans,
I would have more real problems and less imaginary ones.

I was one of those people that lived sensibly
and prolifically each minute of his life;
Of course I had moments of happiness.
If I could go back I would try
to have only good moments.
Because if you didn't know, of that is life made:
only of moments; Don't lose the now.

I was one of those that never
went anywhere without a thermometer,
a hot-water bottle,
an umbrella,
and a parachute;
If I could live again,
I would travel lighter.

If I could live again,
I would begin to walk barefoot from the beginning of spring
and I would continue barefoot until autumn ends.
I would take more cart rides,
contemplate more dawns,
and play with more children,
If I had another life ahead of me.

~~~~~~~~~

A cheery little tome that actually goes on to become even more poignant (you can look that up later should you please) ... a bit of food for thought!