A steady rain fell upon my the metal roof of my dreams through the night and into the morning, and continued falling for an hour after I awoke, continued falling until I walked outside to discover that the steady rain was simply the sound of the river dancing through and over the rocks below the posada. This posada, Suenos del Rio, boasts only 5 bedrooms (each with a bath), but has 3 kitchens, and 2 living rooms. The shaded back patio has a grill, 2 hammocks, numerous chairs and couches, some visiting chickens, and an assortment of birds, lizards, and frogs. It sits a half-block from the main cross-street, 2 blocks from the town square, and is an easy walk to the supermarket, laundromat, coffee shop, yogurt stand, bar/restaurant, and all of the rafting and eco-tourism companies.
My dreams of the river include doing a little volunteer paddle-raft guiding in exchange for some free use of their equipment. I want to get on the river, but on my budget I'd rather not pay to do that. So I visited all three of the rafting companies in town to cast my spiel. Two of the three were cautiously interested, so I gave them my phone number to call me if something comes up. In the meantime, I'll do some exploring on foot (while I'm waiting for my laundry to be done and my cell phone to charge) to see whether I can scare up a local with a car who is willing to be a tour guide to the waterfalls, the hot springs, and the volcano for a lesser price than the $150 that the local eco-tours places are asking.
Last night was a challenge for me from a different direction than I was expecting. I had an extended conversation through the day with one of the other travelers in the posada, a conversation that focused heavily on star charts, rolfing, alternative religions, and personal growth. I was surprised then, when he turned the conversation to his hatred and mistrust of our current president, specifically about how Obama is doing everything in his power to bring America crashing to its economic knees because he truly loathes America. My fellow traveler firmly believes that Obama is trying to take away all guns from Americans so that he can install a complete police state, comparing Obama to Mussolini and Allende, among others. He believes that 9/11 was a government-complicit conspiracy and has the word of an ex-Navy SEAL to prove it. I debated points with him for close to two hours, with neither of us relenting, during which time (I'm embarrassed to say) I began to call him paranoid delusional to his face.
However, towards the end of the debate, I began to realize that he was a gift sent my way. One of the habits that I have chosen to work on during this adventure is the choice of how I express my anger. He definitely gave me the opportunity to examine that expression. In the past, although surely not completely extinguished, I have had a quick trigger that has led to regretful words (such as 'paranoid delusional'). When Don Miguel says: "Be impeccable with your words", I'm sure that this is what he is referring to. He also says: "Don't take anything personally", so I decided to reverse my field and come at this guy from the positive. I thanked him for the opportunity of allowing me to examine and explain my own beliefs that contrasted with his. I reiterated that there were many points of agreement that we had come to, and that disagreement is a healthy expression of individual minds. I ended by smiling, shaking hands, and carrying a clean vision of him that did not seem to include any negative feelings toward him. I almost felt as though I were not taking "anything personally", although it's a new concept, so I have to trust myself that that is indeed what happened.
Gratefully, my self-trust was corroborated by a deep, restful sleep lulled by the sound of rain on my roof and rivers running beneath my window.
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