The Secret to Living a Happy Life: Colombia Countryside Edition
I am unsure if I have the answer to this, but I will share a few stories of encounters with my neighbors in the Colombian countryside.
This week, we have been working on fixing the fence around the property. The puppy is an escape artist but doesn’t have to try hard. The fence is falling apart, and a few shrubs are nothing to a puppy. If he wants out, he will find a way.
So, everyone who lives in my house has been doing manual labor. I grew up doing manual labor and have volunteered worldwide with one goal: to work with my hands.
Except I am sore, my body hurts, and magically, almost all the stress in my life has disappeared. Instead, I am focused on working outside, in nature.
No matter how slow I work, my views are of the mountains, and I can watch the birds fly around. Today, I saw two hummingbirds dancing in the tree. They were flitting around flower to flower without a care in the world.
As I took a break, a local approached my friend and began chatting.
We had an excess of avocados, bananas, lemons, and plantains, so we offered him some. He accepted, and the next thing I knew, he was sitting with me having coffee.
We discovered he lives in town with his sister and does not have a finca. Those who do not have a finca and can not work will ask the campesinos for food, and I was informed everyone shares.
Of course, we happily obliged; it is the way of the countryside here.
He was waiting for one of his friends, and when he passed by, he went with his friend. Later in the day, I saw him getting a ride back into town; he smiled as he said ¨hola mona¨.
He could not work due to a shoulder injury; however, he had everything he needed: a roof over his head and food. Maybe he was feeling down on his luck, but you never would have guessed by how he was chatting away and sharing his stories.
“The secret of happiness, you see, is not found in seeking more, but in developing the capacity to enjoy less.” -Socrates, 469 BCE.
Today was a day for neighbors to stop by.
We are the newbies on the block, and everyone wanted to see who moved in.
I was again working on the fence, putting in posts and hanging barbed wire, when two women stopped by to chat.
They asked me what I was doing, and they were carrying bags as if they were at the market. They told me where they lived, and I told them how much I loved the plants around their doorway; the woman invited me over anytime.
They live three houses down, and I always see them cooking outside, cleaning their home, and working in the garden. Every time I see them, they are smiling, appear joyful, and always stop to chat.
“Life is really simple, but we insist on making it complicated.” -Confucious, 551 BCE.
My third encounter was a man asking me about my coffee.
When he asked me if I planned on harvesting the coffee, he explained that he lived four houses down from me and had a coffee farm, and then he showed me that his coffee was in town to purchase.
He then invited me over for a coffee to enjoy the best cup; he was also joyful and smiling. I have seen him in town, and he always appears in a good mood.
Everyone around here is happy whether they have very little or a lot. The campesinos, the equivalent of ¨country folk, ¨ I imagine, always appear happy.
They stopped by and chatted and invited you over for coffee.
Yesterday, a man who lives up the road from me told me that anytime I want, I can cut branches off his bush to plant in front of my house. I was only asking questions about the type of plant and where I could purchase one.
The people here work hard, have hard lives, and are not rich, but they enjoy the simple things in life, such as talking to their neighbors and being part of a community.
They walk everywhere, and even those who you expect to be in an assisted living facility are still walking around carrying a machete. Yes, some have no choice but to work. Many people in the US also work into their later years due to inflation, and many can not afford to retire.
Except you hear about it all the time, people bitch and moan constantly. I know they complain here, too; trust me, I listen to them, but the overall feeling is not of despair. Instead, it is hope and gratitude for what they have.
Possibly because they are outside most of the time, your mood changes when you spend more time outside than in. When you have a view of the mountains instead of your neighbor’s cubicle, you change; when the light is the sun versus fake fluorescent lights, you change.
So I think one of the secrets to happiness is fresh air and seeing the good in life instead of the bad.
It is like the meme we have all seen: the guy on the train, one man looks out and sees doom and gloom, and the other sees the sun and happiness.
It is all about how you choose to see the outside world. The people here do not have money; they are not rich but cherish what they have.
Like the man telling me that his coffee is the best, I have no idea if it is the best, but he is confident it is; the man grew and harvested it and is proud of his work.
So many of us are the opposite and ashamed of our work; we never want to come off as boastful or too prideful, but why not? Why can’t we be proud of what we have accomplished?
I also want to try his coffee, so if I see it in town, I will buy it.
One day, walk down to his house to check out his farm. When people see others working hard here, they praise them, are curious, and encourage them.
I told him I wanted to process my coffee, and he said, "Yes, that's good." Not why; you don’t know how. He would help me if I asked him to show me his process.
So even though I am exhausted and sore and will fall asleep by 9 p.m., I have no time to worry.
I am creating and doing, which I think is another secret to happiness.
Create and do, and even better if you can do it outside.
Mother nature can fix all of your problems; if she can’t, then do some manual labor. I guarantee you will forget all your problems while trying to figure out what you are doing without hurting yourself.
XOXO
S
Tour of my house below:)
I think working in nature, with animals or plants makes you know what you work for. It’s not just doing it for the money. You’re more connected to the world.
🌹🌻🌸💐💚💜❤️🌼😍🥰