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Baja Belle's Chronicles

                                                     

Settling IN - Part 2

11/15/2015

2 Comments

 
A psychologist walked around a room while teaching stress management to an audience. As she raised a glass of water, everyone expected they'd be asked the "half empty or half full" question. Instead, with a smile on her face, she inquired: "How heavy is this glass of water?"
Answers called out ranged from 8 oz. to 20 oz.
She replied, "The absolute weight doesn't matter. It depends on how long I hold it. If I hold it for a minute, it's not a problem. If I hold it for an hour, I'll have an ache in my arm. If I hold it for a day, my arm will feel numb and paralyzed. In each case, the weight of the glass doesn't change, but the longer I hold it, the heavier it becomes."
She continued, "The stresses and worries in life are like that glass of water. Think about them for a while and nothing happens. Think about them a bit longer and they begin to hurt. And if you think about them all day long, you will feel paralyzed – incapable of doing anything."
Remember to put the glass down.
(author unknown, taken from a posting on Facebook)
I came across this entry by one of my Facebook Friends and it struck me how true and right on this instructor was. Stress. Worry. Anxiety. Anger. All negative forces when they have taken over your life or affect it adversely. The average person today is consumed with stresses all around them, and the frightening thing is, we often don’t recognize the signs of the damage they inflict upon us until its too late. Illness, internal and external, begin to erode our health, as well as erode relationships, affect our jobs, invade our thoughts subconsciously.
I personally am more efficient in the use of my time when I have some sort of a deadline, when I have a little every day stress that is more self-inflicted by my desire to meet my deadlines, than from external forces. But heavy stress is a killer, so damaging to every facet within our lives. Worry is wasted energy. And anger is just as self-defeating. All negatives--and I made up my mind I’m eliminating as many negatives in my life as I can. This was one of the factors that led to my decision to Pull Up Stakes and move to San Felipe. By de-cluttering my life, selling off things that no longer made sense, getting rid of things that had been taking up space but things I hadn’t used in years—that also translated into less stress. I embraced “Less is More” as my mantra!
By trading the hurry up, go faster and faster treadmill life that seems standard issue north of the border, I found once in San Felipe I just naturally slow down. I began to suck in the clean Sea breeze and it nourished me as thoroughly as the Sea itself nourished my psyche. The first few weeks I settled into the details of setting up housekeeping—the TV and internet were hooked up, my unpacking accomplished and things put away. I began to revisit my previous ‘haunts’, places I’d gone to regularly when only visiting San Felipe and area for a week or two at a time. I laid in grocery supplies and dry goods, became reacquainted with what restaurants were currently open, their summer hours, what places were now closed, where the bands were playing. And after my ‘settling in’ chores were accomplished, I found myself realizing I was no longer ‘just visiting’—I now LIVED here and I want to feel involved in the greater community in some fashion. Like most who choose to move to Baja and embrace her less hurried, less stressful lifestyle, I began to settle in to my new life.
San Felipe is a smaller township along the coast of the Baja peninsula, roughly 120 miles south of the border that separates the state of California, USA, from its Mexican cousin south. Baja California is but an extension of the same terrain and diversity as the arid and rugged mountainous California to the north. Not truly a border town, my new home town is sandwiched between the Sea and the San Pedro Martir mountain range that at some points reach 10,000 feet elevation above sea level. After many ‘vacation’ trips to San Felipe over the years, I have found she provides most day to day needs just fine.
A friend of mine who lives in Baja full time, asked me, “so after you get tired of vacationing, what is it you want to actually do here?” With that question, my mind began wrapping itself around the whole idea of just what WAS I going to do now? My friend had a valid point. When that day arrived --when all the details of my move had been accomplished—when I looked out my kitchen window at the clear bluer than blue sky that meets at the horizon’s turquoise tranquil water of the Sea of Cortez—I was suddenly reminded of my friend’s question! What will—what should—fill up my days?
There IS plenty to do here! San Felipe most certainly does not lack things to do! With a pro 18-hole golf course, boating and beach activities, tennis, card games, swimming pools and hot tubs, plentiful nightlife, dancing and an array of events year round, San Felipe provides the casual visitor as well as the permanent resident with a cornucopia of things to do. Not just while ‘on vacation’, but on a day to day, every day spectrum. There are various charitable organizations to become involved with, VIVA which rescues homeless dogs and assists in finding new homes for them. Some people become involved in assisting those less fortunate in the area. There is an outlet for just about everyone here if they want to become involved in the greater community.
I began to look around to see what ‘mission’ or service I might fill. And I believe out of a personal need to know what is going on in the community, as well as out of a need to serve my new community, I came upon the answer for me. I had found that each and every time I came to San Felipe, it took me a week or two to figure out what restaurants were open or closed, where the bands were playing, what events were going on in town. San Felipe has limited ‘news media’—Facebook postings seem to be the primary means for advertising what is going on, but one must scroll down the postings to find a specific item—miss a day or two in checking out Facebook, and you’ve missed many items altogether. What if you aren’t on Facebook at all? There is a monthly newsletter by subscription, and of course Kat’s Korner online. Or checking the front window at Sunrunner to see what posters are advertising what event.
Borne out of a desire to fill my days in a productive way, as well as to personally keep in touch with what is happening in my new home town, I spent the summer developing a web site that I hope will serve my own needs as well as those of the greater community. I have now launched my web site, www.BajaBelle.com. With the assistance of my friend Barry back in Northern California via multiple Skype sessions and enumerable emails, it is my intent to provide within ONE place, as much information as possible in an easy to read, user friendly format. Restaurants in the area , what type of food, if live entertainment is offered; the various bands and their play schedules; where the dance venues are located; events that are currently going on in San Felipe.
This is free advertising for all the restaurateurs and bands, free advertising for event planners, a free service to visitors, part time or full time residents. It will be only as good as the information I am provided, so please keep me in the loop as to changes—it is my mission to be as accurate as possible. Information is constantly being added and updated, so check the web site often. I’m adding details and information to the site all the time. Comments and suggested additions are welcome.
Each local media source serves a valued purpose. Along with her other contributing writers, it is the mutual goal of Kat, myself, and the other media outlets to inform our community what San Felipe has to offer, as well as bring joy and less stress, to all who enjoy our favorite Village by the Sea.


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2 Comments
Barry Connick link
11/29/2015 05:30:46 pm

Great job, keep up the good work..

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Aileen
12/12/2016 09:10:16 pm

Just found your site by sheer luck and surfing. We love Mexico and are traveling to San Felipe for the first time this spring (usually go to Bucerias). Also first trip to the baja area, our trips have always been on the Pacific Coast. Thank you for this site. Looking forward to reading more of it tonight!

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    Carolyn Richardson
    aka Baja Belle

    Baja Belle (aka) Carolyn Richardson followed much the same path that most have in coming to San Felipe--first as a casual visitor, then several times a year, and is now a permanent full time resident.   Baja Belle has been a contributing writer to the Kat's Korner column..

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