“My New Mexican Mama” and “Global Community”

I woke up very early this morning, which is usually due to high stress and anxiety, but not this morning. I was feeling peaceful, happy even. I rarely feel those kinds of “simple” sensations, it’s usually a more complex emotional state, largely tainted by the inability to shut down all my inner voices for a second or two. This morning, I heard only the sounds of the waves, and the birds living in the jungle surrounding our habitation. It reminds me of my home in Virginia; the luxuriant forest, the generous wildlife, and the unique perfume of the trees. Finding this house, following my trip here 7 years ago, has been a life-changing experience for me. Before that, I lived as a transient from one place to another, and every time I came back from tour, I was wondering where to go, and who to come back to. Finding that house gave me that fundamental element, a place I could call home… my place. But now, as much as I dearly miss it, I don’t know if I’m ready to go back to Virginia just yet, as it became essentially MacKaye’s and my home, where every room and every part of the mountain has his imprint all over. It’s a strange feeling, to be honest. The reason why some people thought I would sell the house after he passed, which I’ll never do, is for the same reason. There will be a time for me to go back. There’s still a whole lot that I have to process and I don’t have either the courage or the strength to do so. The album will guide me through.
Ah yes, it’s me almost being happy, enjoying peace and tranquility while talking about mourning and grieving. Told you, it’s a process, right? 😉 Speaking of which, a lady told me yesterday, after seeing my t-shirt featuring a hummingbird, that over 50 different species of hummingbirds lived in Mexico alone. She told me how intricately significant they are to the Mexican heritage, particularly for the Mayans. If I already knew, it was fascinating to hear about it from a local. There’s so much folklore in Mexico, it’s incredibly rich in art and humanity. I could have listened to her for hours, as she explained how important of a symbol the water is, but also as a way of life. She was funny: “For tourists, it’s a beach to get brown and go. But for us, it’s an essential part of our spirituality.” So we talked about that for a while. “You sound like a white Mexican, Alex.” We laughed a lot. I hugged her and called her my Mexican Mama. It was a sweet moment.
In fact, it’s crazy to think that this person, who’s a part of the maintenance crew, is mostly invisible to everyone else when in reality, she is the most fabulous element of the beautiful location I’m residing in. It’s also another example of the nonsense surrounding racial boundaries and social fragmentations today. There’s no such thing as “cultural appropriation” when you are genuinely open to differences. It’s once you are immersing yourself in someone’s differences that you can grow as an individual. How can we expand as people? I’m rarely vocal about today’s politics of standardized conformity. No wonder why we want AI to create and think for us, why we want to avoid confrontation, and why we should segregate ourselves from others’ differences. What a sad and retrograded world it would be to live in such a human-impoverishing environment. And my encounter with my new Mexican Mama is a tremendous expression of that self-enfranchisement that is only possible through those improbable connections. At least, it is for me… politically correct or not.

It’s also based on that soulful curiosity that the project “Kimiyo” came to life and that I’ve been able to discover the magnificent layers of the Japanese culture, from its history to its unique affective dimension. It’s dwelling on those particularities that makes it so inspiring, as besides our obvious differences, the matters of the heart have similar forms and shapes, which makes us way closer to others than we might even believe. And that’s why I’m so grateful for having the blessing to travel like I do, to intimately write, share, and commune with so many people from all over the world like I have the privilege to do. I became the person that I am now because of my connection with you all, and my art / heart keeps on evolving because of you as well. I’m thankful to be a part of a community that makes me so much greater than I would ever be by myself, and that’s what my creative universe is made of.
Note: I hope I’ll see my new Mexican Mama again today for my second lesson on cultural heritage to expand my soul’s colorful palette… life life life!!!