Man Go Abroad

What’s a lesson you’ve learned recently that shifted your perspective?

I truly believe two of the biggest opportunities for a change of perspective is to spend time with children or immerse your self in a culture other than your own. Every experience has that possibility.

I wrote about a simple day at the playground earlier.

Eyes of a Child

Or the most simple of action such as eating a Mango for the first time

Mango

There in the warm summer market, sat a lovely mango, ripened to the perfect firmness. I gently put the mango on top of his shopping bag, along with a few other items I bought from the market in the square. The square was tranquil today; I was deliberate and content. I considered moving to central Mexico for the simplicity and relative low cost of making a living, both of their Spanish were textbook decent, yet they had not yet adjusted to the velocity and tenor of the language.

Before leaving I told my wife, she was more beautiful by the day. I would not be gone long. I said I wanted to pick up some special items from the store. It was the one-year anniversary together and I wanted to get her something to remember this special day. The market smelled of fruit, sweat and spices as the morning heat hung in the air. I took exceptional care as not to bruise or damage the mango on the long walk down the hill from the market. A soft rain suddenly trickled from the heavy sky. The cobblestone streets and sidewalks narrow and dangerous. One must make way for people coming from the opposite direction. Cars and motorcycles occasionally drive the narrow streets. The walk home took all my attention as to not do damage to the perfect mango. I was especially excited, because she never experienced the pure pleasure of eating a mango.

When one has had the perfect mango, you at once know. The skin peels perfectly from the soft juicy orange insides. As the fruit melts in your mouth, there is residual that dribbles slowly down your chin. The stickiness endures as a reminder of a new experience.