If you see circles as a start and an end, it’s a full stop.
But if you see them as a continuous cycle, they can go on forever.
Maybe its my age or a life filling up, but I arrived in San Pancho, Mexico forgetting that I had even been here.
It’s been a cool moment to reconnect with an amigo from Manchester who now lives here. 20 years ago we hung around in a big group of us. In each other’s pockets. Ate,laughed,played,drank,partied and grew up together.
My amigo and I haven’t hung out for 7, 8, maybe even 10 years. But, when you have lived in a community like we did it’s natural, comfortable and the fun comes flooding back. Stories, history and connection.
Since then she has lived in a few parts of Latin America, grown her own communities. With her current roots settled in this little coastal town with the cutest little kid and a new tribe of people.
Logistically we have lived quite a different lives since Manchester. Her’s maybe what could be construed as ‘unconventional’ by UK societal standards - Some days living day to day selling art or tattoos to get by. BUT importantly also locking into creativity and more time and in some magic locations.
One of those magic spots in San Pancho was the beach we sat listened to music, played with their kids, watched surfers catching waves against the big circle in the sky all whilst chatting…
About old times. New times. Times when you need to see the dark, in order to once again see & the light and pretty much everything in between.
Funny where life takes you, it brought her to this creative, hippy snapshot of the world in a Mexican paradise surf paradise.
Randomly it brought me here too, to volunteer at a local community hub & release baby turtles just starting their circle into the wild.
You really don’t know where life will lead.
Marias, San Pancho
I pick up my pen to put it once again to paper in ‘Marias’, a little restaurant on the one main street in town. Walls littered with history & family photos. Maria sits down and chats to all her customers, to me. I then walk down the road & people are starting to recognise me, more frequent ‘Holas’ and ‘Como estas?’ It’s been a time to find a new community.
I am really grateful I’ve made many full circle moments, not as regression but just as Rafiki would put it the circle of life.
This grounding and reconnection also gave me a moment to step back.
I have been working since I was 12…
Paper rounds. Pot washing. Funfair assistant. Call centres. Cleaner. Door-to-door sales. Concierge. Bar staff. Sign carrier. Shop assistant. Manager. Leader.
This is the first of 27 years of an otherwise unbroken CV and another one of those moment, similar to the jungle - I am not saying ‘ oh poor me’.
I am certainly not claiming any Oliver Twist type child labour.
I mean Jimi Hendrix. Janis Joplin. Amy Winehouse. Brian Jones. Robert Johnson. Didn’t even see 27 years in life, let alone in work.
DanroundDanroundDanroundDanround. You say my name enough, you will go full circle. Full circle, Full circles.
Chances to connect with the new and old.
Lost and found.
Learnt and unlearnt.
Spaces to think and some to not.
Moments to jump in the pool, but also just to float.
12 year old me pushing myself along in the pouring rain, on a little micro scooter weighed down by a bag of papers could never have envisaged chucking a different kind of bag on my back & carrying it with him half-way around the world.
Full circle around the globe.
So as the burning ball of fire dips behind the horizon every day, it’s interesting to think am I using it as a full stop or the beginning?
