“Joy is a choice–choose wisely.”
We vacationed in Mexico at the start of January at the “Mayan Palace”, a resort located on the way from Cancun to Playa del Carmen. It has beautiful grounds, very lush surroundings, great accommodations, good food, and friendly service. And of course, there is plenty of water to gaze at and swim in and the warm sunny weather.
As a story teller, I like to talk to people, listen to their stories, and sometimes share mine. While walking to the beach one day, I started a conversation with a woman whom I had noticed in a local supermarket. She was visiting from Boston with her family. She told me about the Zumba exercise class in the pool where we were staying. She also told me that unfortunately she does not have the time at home to do this exercise anymore since she has a new boss and has to long hours at work, six days a week.
When we stay at a timeshare, one of their features is to invite guests to an “informative” presentation that usually lasts a few hours. In return for your time, you are usually offered a complimentary perk of the resort. This time it was a buffet breakfast, 10% discount on all activities and food at the resort, plus 1000 pesos (about $70 US dollars), which can also be spent at the resort.
We bought the Mayan Palace in 1992 for about $7,000 US dollars. Since then, we have visited many different locations in Mexico, including Acapulco, Puerto Vallarta, and Cabo San Lucas. The developers keep building new and more luxurious resorts and of course want to sell visitors yet another time share. In the past, we were suckers and bought more. But, this time we held our ground.
After the sales person failed to convince us to depart from our money, the manager stepped in. In his conversation, he told us his life story and hard work in the past, which was very similar to the woman from Boston’s story, whom I encountered on my beach walk. Santiago was born in Switzerland. His father was a doctor, who left in pursuit of higher earnings, traveled the world dragging his family along. Santiago graduated from a prestigious culinary school in France and his last job was an executive chef at the Ritz Carlton in Miami. There were two events which changed his life. He worked long hours at the restaurant. One evening, his (then) wife came and asked him to sign some papers. Since he was very busy, he did not even bother to read what he was signing. Only three days later, his mom called him telling him that he actually signed divorce papers. He also had a younger brother, who was planning to retire at the age of 40. To do this, he worked very hard. His dream was intercepted—he died at the age of 29.
Visiting Mexico on vacation, Santiago decided to change his life. Today he is happily married, has a salary, and four weeks vacation which he can spend with his wife and two little daughters. But most importantly, he can see them in the morning and spend time with them after his work.
There are many things in our lives that make us happy, but it is up to us to figure out what is really important and what we can do to create a true and lasting joy.
P.S.
I came back from the trip with about 1,500 images in my camera. I had much difficulty choosing which ones to share with you. Please enjoy!
Do Not Keep Me As A Secret!
Smile And Please SHARE It With A Friend!
