I moved to Mexico City and I don’t know anyone here. I have my two dogs; Chiquis, who is my “Henny Penny the Sky is Falling”, and often I just hold her and hug her until her breathing returns to normal. In the wee hours of the night however, I’m right there with her: earthquakes, water supply, Covid, banditos and oh yeah right that delta –the hits just keep on hitting. There’s a lot of fear on that side of my mind, but then there’s Bun. She, on the other hand, is having an absolute ball. So many creatures to flirt with, parks to explore, trees to sniff and ohhhh so many butts! I am both my dogs and grateful to have them at my side as I adapt to this new city.
I am also so glad I stumbled upon this Brene Brown video this morning…. that elusive notion of belonging anywhere has always been a thing for me; I never felt I belonged starting with my family and it evolved from there. This past year I truly embraced and honed in on being an artist; I’ve balls-to-the-wall leaned into my craft and it provides me with focus and makes me feel like I belong. I’ve been in Mexico City 10 days and in this short amount of time a few of my drawings are now proudly hanging in some of the corner cafes in this no-gringo neighborhood, and people wave to me as I walk the streets with my dogs. I don’t know anyone but I know everyone. Art is my reason, art makes my life sacred, art connects me to this world. So very grateful for this sense of belonging 