I say with all sincerity, the power of the message I was hoping to convey WOULD NOT have been the same without you. And for those of you who weren't on board at first (time was ticking and I could not invite everyone - or at least didn't want to flood everyone with my proposal to come along - and there was for Team Mexico Phase 1 - the shirt - a deadline) and came along later - thank you. And for the rest of you reading this, as you continue to read... if you are interested in joining us, the journey is not over! You are welcome at anytime! I'd love to have your company. To quote Helen Keller: "Alone we can do so little, but together we can do so much".
I love togetherness. The world would benefit from more of it.
Anyways... what happened in Mexico?
Day 1 - Wednesday, February 22nd. I get in my car to drive to the Orlando airport. Upon parking my car in the economy lot (and I found a fabulous spot- only about 50 ft from the airport shuttle stop - this is NOT a typical find in Orlando Int'l Airport Economy parking), the shuttle driver comes TO MY VAN (this has never happened before! What service! and this is Economy parking - not valet..) to help me get my bags to the shuttle (which was, as I mentioned, only about 50 ft away). Then another passenger ALSO offers to help with my bags. Perhaps I should tell you that the volume of
baggage I was traveling with may have also played at least some part in others offering to help me the short distance of 50 ft.. I am, habitually, not a light packer. I would be in Me
xico for 3 full days (Thurs-Sat) plus about 1/2 of today and for a very brief time on Sunday (set to leave resort at approximately 8:30 AM😩) - so I would be gone for a total of 5 days. I like to be prepared. I hate to be cold. I like to have options - in clothing - in books - in case of hunger...And so for me, that meant in luggage math ( I did really outdo myself this time)... 2 large (trust me on the large) suitcases, my carryon bag (which I recently strategically procured a carryon with wheels to 1) take the "carrying" out of my carry-on , and 2) accommodate and more comfortably carry the "personal" bag one can also bring on the plane - and I have some shoulder issues that have come back after a 20+ year hiatus- rotator cuff injury back from the high school days of volleyball... so packing the way I do, I was trying to look out for my shoulder). My personal bag was a shoulder tote bag in style but also had the option of being worn like a backpack - also good for the old shoulder! That purchase for the personal bag was made with the use of an amazon gift card that was recently given to me - thank you! Thank you! My shoulder and I thank you!
Well, I had a lovely ride from the economy lot to the airport - good conversation. I had thanked the gentleman passenger who also helped with my bags and he humbly shrugged it off of as" Hey! If there is some little thing I can do to make someone's day a little better, I'd like to do that". Amen, brother!
I get to the airport and (oh, by the way, I'm wearing the shirt :0)............) get on my first flight to Miami (and I didn't even have to take off my shoes at security!). In Miami, I have just enough time to check for my next gate and then I'm off to 🇲🇽 MEXICO! It became clear at some point on the Cancun flight, that there were others on board with the same final destination as me - an audible was made... "Hey! Who's here to see Dave (if you missed other posts before this one, you might not know... Part of my Mexico experience included three nights of concerts on the beach with Dave Matthews and Tim Reynolds)???!!!" This was followed by exclamations of glee and frenzy from multiple directions on the plane. No, I was not alone. There were a great number of people ready to have a good time...
Side note - I had a lovely view of the amazing blue waters of Mexico from my seat in the sky :0). Oh how I love blue waters, "Oh, blue waters...". Wait is that in a song somewhere? Anyways.
So we landed ever so gently (I really don't remember if it was ever-so-gently but it sounds nice and I don't remember a rough landing- and I was in Mexico now so at least metaphorically perhaps it was a soft beautiful landing into the motherland of a lovely people)on the jetway. Going through customs was a breeze and now it was time to look for the Dave Matthews and Tim Reynolds Riviera Maya signs that would lead me to the bus which would carry me closer to those blue waters! The sign was found (after a quick stop to a duty-free shop in the airport- somehow in the 100+ pounds of baggage, I had forgotten...CHOCOLATE! Zut Alors! (That's French not Spanish and I'm not sure if I spelled it right...) - so not knowing when I would next find some affordable chocolate, I made a small investment in the duty free store for sustenance from the 5th food group.
So, yes... I made it to the bus and in the process was reminded of my not-so-light packing. It was the first of a number of times, where someone encountering my luggage would do this...
1) Look at my luggage
2) Look at me
3) Look at my luggage again,
And 4) Then look at me again and ask, "For one person"
And then I would reply, "Si, Uno" (I think I preferred to speak in Spanish in these instances since it was two of the perhaps 20 words I knew in Spanish - maybe I would find a bit of favor if i said them in beautiful Spanish instead of not-so-beautiful English- that is a personal opinion- I love the sounds of Spanish, French and Italian and don't have as much of an appreciation for the sound of English- well American English- I like an English accent)and smile. Whenever in doubt, smile I say - or act crazy. It just depends on the situation. No one seemed to really judge me- no bad looks or anything. Perhaps a good internal chuckle. And maybe just the thought of: "Crazy American lady- what on earth did she pack in all those bags?" Oh, and I got the special tag of distinction for my bags, a big one that said. "HEAVY". I think it was a first for that in my travels.
Now I'm on the bus (I'm certain you wanted all of these details!). I sat next to a super nice couple who currently live in Colorado- I think near Denver. In conversing with them, I found out that a year and a half ago they would have never dreamed they'd be on this trip. Why? A year and a half ago, the wife was going through cancer treatments. This couple was thankful to be there and finding it at least a little hard to believe that they were now celebrating life in Mexico on this special trip together - and even more thankful just to have life. Cancer, by the way, had also introduced itself to my friend Shannon (who invited me on the trip) a little sooner than it had to my new friends. I was thankful to be celebrating life in Mexico with her, too.
About an hour bus ride and we arrive to Barcelo!!! I go through the process of explaining, "Si, Uno" again and then I'm on my way to check-in. This isn't like a line of 20 people waiting to check-in to a hotel. This was a journey of about 500 or so people who had come in from all over the place to get here (about 500 right now - in line, there were about 5000 people that had booked this trip- some staying at this property and some at others)-where drinks were provided along the way by people with friendly faces and smiles. And there were more fun conversations in line as we waited for our keys to earthly paradise. So, I'm not complaining.
About an hour later, I am in the room. I knew I would be arriving prior to Shannon. After I get settled a bit, I get a text that Shannon is now in the journey to earthly paradise line. I go to meet her! We catch up a bit and then soon both head to our room. Soon we grab some dinner (the largest buffet I've seen in my life) and continue to catch up for awhile. Ah! 'Tis lovely to be with good friends!
Day 2, Thursday February 23rd -
This is the day Shannon and I headed to the one excursion we had planned for the trip: Tulum.
Tulum is a city where there are ancient ruins, a marketplace for shopping (souvenirs), and a lovely beach. So, there were lots of options once there. Since it would be our only day away from the resort, it is also the day I thought I'd be most likely to see the greatest number of people actually from Mexico. So, it was this day of all days that we had determined in advance that we would definitely wear the shirts.
This was also my first morning in Mexico. My internal alarm clock got me up at 6-something. Shannon was also up quite early and was going for a morning run (she shames me in this area- she is an excellent runner- and even while still going through her battle with cancer she was running miles and miles- both competing and placing in races!) And knowing that we were steps away from water, I thought it would be worth my while to see if I could catch a sunrise (this became my pattern each day following for the remainder of the trip). Well, I did miss the sunrise- but it was still a beautiful view.
Inspired by Shannon, I decided to get a bit of exercise in. I did a combination of walking and running, trying to keep a view of the beach before me for most of the time. If ever I have the opportunity to be near a beach, the beach is really where I want to be... not in a room, not in a car, ... but on the beach - or in the case with a full-on view of the beach. Happy place for me. :0)/. Well, what also came into my view on the beach this morning was a hot air balloon! Near the hot air balloon was a woman in a wedding gown and a man in a nice suit.... A wedding perhaps! Then I saw multiple photographers and no guests. So my best guess is that really I had come upon a photo shoot, not a wedding. Which I imagine it is more polite for a tourist to be surveying a strangers' photo shoot than their wedding, right?...
Soon, Shannon and I headed to breakfast. Every meal we went to was a fantastic spread of options where I believe guava, passion fruit and guacamole were always available. I think I like guacamole for breakfast!
And then we were off to Tulum which was about a 30 minute drive from the resort. As one who sometimes forgets to take pictures (and as Shannon pointed out to me that there is evidence that taking pictures of experiences indeed enhances those experiences) and later regrets it, I was more diligent (hopefully not pushy or annoying 😬) about getting some pictures on this trip. So, very soon after arriving in Tulum, Shannon and I were getting our pictures taken in "the shirt".
For our first pictures, we had asked a CID staff person to help us out (CID staff wore CID t-shirts so it was easy to spot them). CID is the entertainment group that put the whole vacation package together (concert, accommodations, optional excursions, optional activities at the resort). There were a number of CID staff around the resort day and night and there were CID staff present for the excursions. I believe it was their job to make sure that we were all having a good time and to be available if we had questions - and in this case, to take our picture. Anyways, the CID staff person happily obliged in our request (and this particular picture request was to get a picture of us in "the shirt" that we could share with our supporters :0). The photo shoot - HA! - also resulted in a nice conversation with some CID staff about the story behind the shirt- and it was the first of a number of smiles and affirmations in response to that story, in response to that message (which in short is a message of unity and love). `
And had I thought of it (and also known for sure that I wasn't being intrusive or overly opportunistic), I probably would have taken the picture of every person we talked to about the shirt- so that I could share a face with a story and also share the expressions that Shannon and/or myself got to see. But, that might have been intrusive and perhaps over-staged for my comfort level- so in most cases you will just have to trust me.
Anyways in our first time sharing with CID staff (there would be more times) about the shirt, we had a very good reception. So after we had those pictures taken, as well as some other pics taken to enhance our vacation memories, we were off to the beach in Tulum!
And then to the ruins.
And the view from the ruins:
And then to do a little shopping.
And then back on the bus.... which would take us back to the resort... for Night 1 (of 3!) of Dave and Tim's concerts on the beach! Get out of town! Somebody pinch me- ... wait don't... because just in case it is a dream, I am not ready to wake up!
Night 1
Opening act: Aldo from 🇲🇽
In case you were wondering what Dave thinks about things here in the U.S....
Now I really did not know much about Dave Matthews prior to coming to Mexico. I quickly learned that he has quite the following (about 5,000 people flocked to Mexico for this concert set- and in talking with some of my fellow concert-goers many of the many have been to 20 plus of his concerts!) and it seems many appreciate not only what he shares in song but also what he has to say about things in between songs. On Night 1 Dave brought up recent goings on in the United States - specifically in regards to immigration and the negative language that has been flying around on that issue . Come to find out, Dave is an immigrant. He is from... South Africa (as is Vusi Mahlasela, one of the opening acts for the concerts- loved his voice and the fun spirit he brought!). On current events, Dave said this (this was another concert-goer's sharing of his quote- so pardon me if it is not exact ): "The only people that are going to save us from stupidity is ourselves. And we only work best when we work together. And xenophobia is not the way to move forward. I just may be a fool but I feel love is a much better way to go than fear and hatred. In a weird way I'd rather die with love in my heart than live a life full of fear and hatred..."
Hmmm. Apparently Dave was thinking about these things in his time in Mexico, also. Love... togetherness not separation. I'm not sure when I had the thought for the first time- it might have been as he was speaking just then... But, I thought, Man! I bet Dave would really like the shirt. I wonder if somehow I could get him a shirt. Now, before your mind goes too far to where mine went... I'll go ahead and tell you now... I never met Dave, and I never got a shirt to him (yet - 😉). More on that later.
Day 3- Friday February 24th -
Well today, thankfully, my internal alarm clock woke me up earlier. And while I still did not make it for the very first peeking of the sun over the horizon, I didn't miss all of it... and I wasn't disappointed! I then staked out a lovely spot at which to sit that had no other chairs in front of it- nothing between me and the sun and the sea - love it! This was my view:
It was incredibly quiet and hardly anyone else was on the beach at this time. There were men and women who worked at the resort preparing the beach for the day - raking sand, arranging beach chairs etc. I was a bit surprised that not more people were out from the sunrise- but... maybe not everyone likes sunrises so much?...
Today there were no set plans aside from the concert at night. Shannon and I explored some possible activity opportunities like hydrobikes, kayaks, hobies (we found out that they would be entrusting us alone to the hobie- no "captain" or anything - so,a hobie would really NOT be a good idea- neither Shannon nor myself were confident in our sailing abilities- so we quickly eliminated this option), and snorkeling. And while we never did get around to the hydrobikes, kayaks,... I have no regrets. There were so many great options of what to do - and there just was not going to be enough time to do them all. I enjoyed everything I did- so what else could I ask for? ❤️
At some point as we were walking around, Shannon and I (while wearing the shirts) were talking about the shirt. I can't remember if I had told Shannon this the night before (I know I shared with you that I was thinking about it), but I definitely said something to this effect today: "I think Dave would really like the shirt. I wonder if there is any way we could get him a shirt. Shannon, what do you think about talking to someone from CID about it...?" Shannon was game, so that what we did.
So, you already know that we have yet to get a shirt to Dave, but I think this is still a good story, so.... I will tell it. Close to our room we saw a CID worker (identifiable as such with his shirt clearly displaying the CID logo), and we introduced ourselves.
I said something like this (I'm not usually so bold and a let's-talk-to-a-stranger-about-my-crazy-idea- kind-of-girl but after a year or so of a lot of brokenness followed by a fresh season of love, I have become more bold- or crazy- how ever you wish to see it is fine by me): "Hi! I have a shirt that I really think Dave would like. Is there anyway we could get it to him? I'm not asking that I get to meet him or anything- just anyway you could get him the shirt?"
His reply (let's call him Dominic- I may be overly cautious regarding sharing names, etc- but I'd rather be overly cautious than not cautious enough): "Listen, Dave might really like your shirt. But, of everyone here, there may be about 4,000 other people that also have something to give to Dave that they think he'd really like. And if we did this for everyone who wanted to give something to Dave, he'd have a room full of stuff..."
Well, that was an acceptable answer. I didn't press "Dominic" (he was from the States) anymore on the issue. I said, "Okay, that makes sense. I thought I'd at least ask. But... can I at least tell you about the shirt?" He says, "Sure".
Shannon and I then show Dominic the shirt - pointing out the Spanish and then the English... and then the names of everyone on the back. Then I share a bit of the inspiration for the shirt as well.
Dominic likes the shirt, actually he loves it - the message of it: love. He exclaims, "I love this! This is great!" He then proceeded to share some of his thoughts on the current state of things in the U.S. His feelings and language were pretty intense and you could tell he had some strong opinions about things here. He then asked Shannon and me how we felt.
This was a bit of a brief awkward point in the conversation. Dominic said something like: "Well, you think this about..., too- right?" Definitely expecting we'd agree on a certain something. I said, "Well,..." and then went on to share my honest response to his question - which was not in exact agreement with what he had shared. I was a bit worried he might be disappointed with my response. And, well, I think he was a little. But - while it was clear that we did not agree on all things- that we may have some different approaches to frustrations, etc... I could easily tell that, ultimately - to Dominic, that didn't matter... We didn't have to agree with him - come along with him so to speak in everything he said... what mattered most is that we could all agree on the most important thing: love. We all agreed that we hated the hate- the negative language going on in our country. People attacking people. I could see in Dominic that he didn't need me to agree with all of his opinions in order to feel a sense of togetherness.... he just needed to know that I (and Shannon) cared most about love. That common thread was the most important one in each of our worlds and it allowed us to genuinely smile and proceed to talk about things peaceably (after knowing we didn't agree on all things) knowing that ultimately we all really cared most about love. That was a sweet moment. I didn't have to fake it- and say, "Oh yeah, I think...... too! " in order to get there. And sometimes we might be surprised to find out that, though we come at things from different perspectives, many times what we ultimately want the most is in fact the same thing (I know not all conversations would have gone this way. And I know there are genuine disagreements over truly significant things - but I think love really is the most important thing. And so if we can approach life through a filter or lens of love, I do think human relations will be better off for it).
So, at some point in the conversation- with some differences known, but also our sameness... Dominic said (as a response to the gesture of the shirt): "Oh, just give me a hug!" So, I obliged. It would not be the last time the message of the shirt would elicit a request for a hug. He went on again to tell how he loved the idea / the shirt.
At some point he also came back to my initial question about getting the shirt to Dave. Now, I'm pretty sure he brought it up this time and not me. But he said something like... "Well, I can't get the shirt to Dave... But if you wanted to, you could try to get it to him on stage... you could get close to the stage, and then try to throw it on the stage. It would be kind of rude, but you could try it..."
I then said, "Well, I don't want to be rude. It's okay".
Well, I guess Dominic wasn't done with this train of thought so, it continued:
"But if you threw it in between songs - then that wouldn't be so rude... you'd just want to be careful not to hit them [Dave or Tim]".
I was starting to get intrigued at this idea, so then I asked, "Well, wouldn't I get in trouble for throwing something? If I did that, would somebody ... like... come and take me away?" Dominic assured me that I would not get in trouble. He then gave me more tips on how I could go about tossing the shirt on stage... Hmmm. I think Dominic wanted Dave to have a shirt, too 😀. I will tell you that I did bring at least 2 shirts each night to the concert just in case I had the opportunity to somehow give a shirt to Dave and Tim (the thought came to me that it would be rude to bring a shirt to Dave and not Tim- though Tim on stage is much quieter than Dave- and I didn't have as much evidence that he would like a shirt by any thoughts he shared). The tossing idea did come to mind again while at the concerts- but I just couldn't do it. I definitely didn't want to be rude and disrupt the concert. And I figured if Dave and/or Tim were meant to get the shirts - one way or another they would (again- to date: neither of them has the shirt- just for the record). But I still appreciate that Dominic thought up the whole idea - and that makes me smile. It was like the concert police telling me the loophole into doing what he himself could not do. 😁
At some point on this day, Shannon and I also got to talk for a bit with one of the resort staff, Veronica (name changed again- to be cautious) who helped set up tours and excursions. Shannon will be returning to Mexico with her husband and sons in June, so she was doing some research for that trip. Shannon and I were both wearing the shirts at this time, and we shared with Veronica about the shirt. I wish you could have seen her face (and I would have felt a little invasive saying something like... Umm, can you make that face again, I'm going to take a picture, and...). In general, Veronica is blessed with a lovely smile (you'll see it a bit later, I talked with her at another time and got her permission to take a picture- and permission to share it...)- but it was particularly special to see her reaction when we told her about the shirt. Again, please know that the message is impacting people. When they see that some people made it a point to put their names to a message for them/ for Mexico/ for the world/ for love - it means something! I don't think I am out of bounds when I say that people feel love when they read the message and see all of the names and hear of all the support from the different people (and of the support from the people whose names didn't get on the shirt for print). Trust me.
Night 3-
Tonight's opener was Carlos Varela (you'll hear more about him and his SIGNATURE - cough, cough - when I share about Day 4). He has a lovely voice and is from Cuba. I had a great time listening to him- and to another night of listening to Dave and Tim.
Day 4 -
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