The Steady Rhythms of Life in the Colombian Andes

Sometimes I want to pinch myself, unsure if I am still asleep and dreaming or if I truly do live in this beautiful place. Then I wake up with aches and pains, unsure of how they got there or when they will go away, if ever.

The land is demanding and requires hard work and discipline. However, today I have carved out a few moments to sit this morning and write, something that seems to slip through my fingers these days. I wake when the dogs are ready for their walk, and after that, it is nonstop until the end of the day, by which point my brain has already shut down.

This morning is a bit different. My puppy is getting neutered today. She is 9 months old and cannot have anything to eat or drink this morning, which means I must watch her. 

She loves to eat everything she sees, including sticks, paper, grass, and bugs. Usually, in the mornings, I open the door, let her stay outside, and she runs around. Not today. She still got up, but so did I, and now I am wide awake.

Coming from the US, typically, when you have an animal that needs to be neutered, you go into the vet's office, drop the dog off, and then pick them up later, or wait. 

Here, we have the option of having someone come to our house to do the procedure. The vet in town did my Husky, and the poor guy ended up getting an infection. I am not sure if it was from the procedure or because he was an insane puppy and did not stay clean. 

This time, we are not risking it. The vet in town wanted to cut down her belly to do the procedure, while the one who comes to the house does it from the side, like most other vets.

Nyx, is a Rottweiler. She is heavy but not that big; we think she was the runt of the bunch. However, the vet in town said it did not matter. 

The vet we have coming was recommended by our neighbors, who recently had their German Shepherd puppy neutered, and the incision looked great. It appeared to be a better job than what was done on my other puppy.

We shall see. They arrive late morning.

The bunnies were very happy I was up early. Usually I let them out of their cage and feed them at 8; today it was 7. I am sitting here and hear them running around the porch as they have never been free before. They have the entire balcony until about 7:30 pm to enjoy their day.

Life here sometimes seems so different, yet at the same time, it feels as if I have been living this way my whole life. I still get excited when I see a new bird in the yard, which happens frequently since I have been planting a garden just for the wildlife to come. 

I do have food growing, a ton at the moment, but I realized if I plant for the birds, butterflies, and bees, everything else naturally arrives. They were silently waiting for more flowers, something to pollinate or simply admire, and for the beauty of what the land is becoming.

I keep adding more flowers. If you have never visited Colombia, there are a few things that never get mentioned on social media. 

The days are almost the same length every day of the year. The sun rises and sets at nearly the same time year-round. Not the exact same time, but within about 30 minutes of each other. 

The sun rises between 5:30 and 6 am, and it sets between 6 and 6:30 pm every day. We do not change time here, and we do not have dramatically shorter or longer days depending on the season. 

To me, this feels very relaxing, knowing that I will have approximately 12 hours of daylight every day, a steady rhythm to life. I am sure this contributes to the success of my harvest and many of those around me.

The steady rhythms, the knowing, the birds that wake you up, the flow that changes daily but also stays the same. A knowingness that your body can regulate itself without being jerked around to conform to an unnatural system. 

The joy that I have not turned on the lights this morning and instead let my circadian rhythm do the job, or perhaps the circadian rhythm of my dogs, but not an alarm clock, not an unnatural noise.

The birds are outside chirping, letting me know it is time to rise and shine since the sun has been up for almost three hours already.

It is now past 8, and the dogs are demanding their daily walk. 

XOXO

S