“Welcome back Mae.”
“Oh why thank you so much! It’s been awhile. I hope everyone is doing ok. And by OK I mean, surviving. Doing whatever you need to do to survive, and if there is room..to thrive.”
I’ve been thriving. I think. I hope.
I’ve been so happy. Yes, there are times I’m not elated, but that is just part of everyday life.
But I think I have never been happier. This little one keeps me on my toes.
All
The
Damn
Time
And yet, I can’t imagine my life without him.
In Early July, my family travelled to Mexico. We were meeting the rest of the clan for a family reunion.
To say that I was nervous is an understatement of magnanimous proportion.
I was super nervous. So much in fact, I talked to my psychiatrist and arranged a session while there. I needed to just know that I could “check in” with the person who helped me get my life back on track.
My nerves were a result of trauma. Trauma comes in the form of a reaction, not an actual event. We react to the event, but the trauma is not recreated.
I hope that makes sense.
But there has been so much trauma growing up, i thought for sure I would be reliving it.
We arrived at the airport at 5:30 in the morning. 1 check in bag, 2 carry-ons, and an almost 2 year old in tow.
Because he is not actually 2 yet, we managed to squeeze in one last free trip.
It was pretty smooth checking in, checking our bags, going through security, and getting to the gate.
Our little one was pretty chill.
I am usually a nervous wreck on planes. But then I just remind myself that if something does happen, it will be quick. And most likely painless.
He slept for about an 1.5 on my lap and then I discovered this fun game where I had to find treasures. It occupied the rest of my time on our flight to Mexico.
We landed in Mexico after an almost 4 hour flight. The heat was from Satan himself.
Sticky
Clingy
Wet
We landed, went through customs, grabbed our bags, and exited the airport.
What a lovely airport. And so many smiling faces.
We searched for our transportation I had pre-booked and prepaid for. They were nowhere to be found.
I had never been to Mexico before and so I didn’t want to jump in with a random transport company. So we waited.
And waited.
And waited.
An hour went by and finally, I was able to get into contact with our driver. There had been a mix-up and I take full responsibility.
We boarded the van that had a cute child seat. Our son was way too happy to be in it. He got to see all the red, blue, brown, and gray cars.
The driver was nice enough. Not much conversation. He knew what he was doing and where he was going. It was a smooth trip getting there.
Awesome air conditioning.
We arrive at our airbnb and the minute we get there my sister calls to tell us they are having a surprise baby shower for my other sister. I swear she is pregnant with triplets.
“Welcome to my family” I tell my wife who is drenched in sweat holding the suitcase and her carryon bag.
We got about 5 minutes to change.
We were told that our sister (baby shower lady) would be picking us up. This was a way to get her out of the house so they could prepare.
To no avail. After walking for about 20 minutes in the heat, we could not find her. Originally she said she would pick us up at our place but she could not find us. So we opted to walk out to the street in our gated compound.
I messaged my sister and told her we were lost and that our other sister was not around. She sent her husband and in1.5 minutes, we were picked and taken to the big house. This is the house we all convened at for the duration of the trip.
There were 4 different families living in this one big house. To be honest, I am so glad we had our own place because that is a lot of children. 7 cousins. The oldest being 8 and the youngest 17 months.
The surprise was fun and also overwhelming. Our son was not sure what to do. So many cousins, so many people.
But he rocked it.
Swimming happened.
Games happened.
Eating happened.
Then we were driven back to our place which was only 1.5 minute drive or a 4 minute walk.
All three of us passed out.
Comment with “Yes” for part 2.
Lifting Taboos 