In Chile, Lunch is the big meal of the day...it's actually more like lunch/dinner since it can last for 3,4-7 hours. People drink...eat....drink...and eat.......and they do it all very, very slowly. Cleaning up is not a part of the occasion, unless you need the dishes for dessert or cups for more pisco sour. The soul purpose of a sit down lunch with people is to enjoy your time and conversation with those people...nothing else. It's actually a very beautiful thing, and for me, it was a little wake up call about how things should be (and I am not typically someone who rushes through meals). Yesterday, I was invited to join Jamie's room mate and his close friends for their pre-bicentennial celebration "fonda" at the house. Jamie was at work so this was an opportunity to force myself to practice spanish even if it just mean listening to them. The lunch started at 2pm. We drank pisco sours and ate empanadas and talked for an hour and a half...then we sat down to lunch at about 3:30/4ish. We ate and drank for 2 more hours...so by this time...the meal could have been considered dinner. I gathered the dishes and started washing up...to help out. I went to lay down for a little while because my stomach was still a little weak after being sick and they told me they would come get me for dessert. This happened about...oh...an hour (maybe more) later. When I tried to clean up after dessert...they told me to leave it...like I was some crazy gringa who just wanted to clean all the time! Pretty funny. They ended up hanging out...talking...and listening to music until almost 9 pm, and that was considered a lunch party!
So, I started thinking about how, in America, we try to put everything into time slots...maximizing our lives so we can "make time count" or "get the most out of the day". This isn't always true... on Thanksgiving and Christmas, we tend to relax a little bit more, but in general, I think it's a cultural problem. What is success anyway? Having lots of money? Working 40+ hours a week? Doing alot? or is it finding peace in life and sharing it with people who you love and value without a standard or expectation of how that should be done. When you've written your story and you come to the end of your life....what is really going to make you smile when you look back? I love to travel, but I've realized more on this trip that even traveling alone is not as rich as sharing my experiences with someone else. Otherwise, it's sort of a great lonely experience that only I can relate to. I feel like it's time to wake up, and stop waiting for the "time to be right"...make life rich now, do it with the people you love, and savor every minute of it. Life is short. You never know what the future holds...and there is nothing to wait for....time doesn't wait for anyone.
I love all of you...my beautiful, supportive family...my wonderful friends. My life would not be the same without you in it. :)
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