Would you make a deal with the devil to get what you desire?

Recently I have been digging into the myths and legends of Colombia. Not only is it spook month, but I have been thinking about things that I was curious to learn about countries before I started traveling.

Things that got lost along the way, rekindling dreams that lay dormant. Yet dreaming about doing something and doing it, as we know, are two different things.

I remember when I was still working at the hospital, and in my downtime, I furiously researched the weird and off-the-beaten-track activities to do. The dream stage, then when I do this, I will do this.

Well, as we know, as soon as you touch down in a new country, it can be so overwhelming that you forget. Well, at least I do; I meet people, tend to go along with the flow and do what others are doing.

I lost sight of what I wanted to see. I thought Nah, I could do it later, no big deal.

Yet does later ever come?

It made me think today how most of us are always in such a hurry to see all the significant sights. The must-see becomes a checkmark on you’ve been here, seen it.

So then you run around to the next exciting adventure. It is this step that makes me feel icky inside. Almost a so that’s it, and you saw it, learned nothing about it, and are moving on?

It’s like in life, we are too busy running around, trying to make ¨ it¨ that so many of us forget that the way to the Eifel tower may be the most exciting part of the Eifel tower, not the actual seeing it.

I will tell you that is true in my case. When I went to Paris, I had to see the Eifel Tower; it was a bucket list check-off. Except I’m not too fond of the fast, easy way, I was alone and decided to take the metro and walk.

Before smartphones were all over, google maps existed, but it was different and way more fun. Travel used to be an adventure before it became so streamlined.

I left my hotel and started walking in the general direction of the Eifel Tower. On my way there, I stopped for lunch, had a coffee, took pictures, and saw the love lock bridge.

I looked at art along the river and got a little lost. I had ice cream and chocolate and eventually stumbled on my way to the Eifel Tower. It was a large metal structure, but it had twinkle lights at night, which was my favorite part.

It also has big crowds and military men with big guns. So, in reality, my meandering there was way more fun; I ended up walking home and getting lost again, but I am never truly lost; I just took a long way.

I know what does this have to do with my title? Well, it´s getting there, in my own meandering way.

So my story and this legend I found made me think we are all in a hurry to get somewhere. Why? We want to make a ton of money for what?

We want to build our blog for what? To make money to then what? It gets stuck in a repetitive cycle; maybe that’s me.

I always have a new project that takes me a long time, then I execute it, and it either fails or grows. Either way, I won because I learned something. I never take the shortcut because I enjoy hard work; I want frustrations, apparently.

I don’t, but it is part of getting to know yourself and your block, what is holding you there, why you are frustrated, and the issue that is bothering me.

It is part of my going into the belly of the beast, growing, learning, and yes, if that means it is a slow meandering walk to the end, then that is what it is.

I do not wish to rush to death because that is the end. I prefer to have a little fun along the way, stop and smell the roses or daffodils, my favorite.

So my meanderings about life made me think about a story my boyfriend recently told me, a Colombian Legend.

The legend of Juan Machete is because he always carried a machete on his belt, as do most Colombian farmers.

The Legend of Juan Machete:

A story of greed. Juan Machete wanted to get to the good parts without putting in the effort to build the foundation first, skipping the intermediate steps.

Juan Francisco Ortiz lived in the Orinoquía region of Colombia, the Llanos or plains of Colombia. The home to many cattle farmers, as it is the perfect place to raise beef cattle.

Juan was unhappy that his farm was not producing as much as he wanted; he was not where he wanted to be. He saw himself as a poor struggling farmer with a wife and two children. It was not enough; he wanted more.

Juan wanted power, land, fortune, and fame. Blinded by greed and the inability to wait to achieve his goals, he made a pact with the Devil.

Juan asked to be the region’s wealthiest and most powerful man; the Devil stated it would be so. The only rules are when the Devil comes to collect; he must go willingly.

What did the Devil want?

The price of being the wealthiest and most influential man in the region will only cost his soul and the soul of his wife and children.

Juan Machete agrees to give the soul of his wife and children. Once the Devil has his verbal agreement, he tells Juan the final steps.

Juan, must gouge out a chicken’s eyes, gut a toad, and bury them. Once this is complete in two days, the Devil will deliver two prize cows, the village’s most productive. They arrived as promised and went on to birth two more cows, and so on.

The Devil also sent Juan 50 men to help with the land at no cost. It led Juan to become the wealthiest man in the region.

He was able to accumulate treasures and riches beyond his wildest imagination. Then one day, Juan noticed a bull in his field that he did not know recognized.

He thought it must be one of the neighbors as it was bigger than his other bulls and had big white hooves. Juan tried to get the bull to leave his land. To go back to where the bull belonged but was unsuccessful.

The bull refused to leave Juan´s land. Juan allowed the bull to stay as he went off to work for the day. In the following days, the bull remained. Juan continued to get richer until one day; when he returned from work, he found his wife and children dead in the corral where the bull stayed.

The bull had blood on its horns and realized that the Devil had come to collect what was his. Juan tried to kill the bull but was unable, as the bull healed fast.

Juan machete got scared as he did not want the bull/devil to take away his treasures or life. So Juan ran into the savannah; he buried his treasure and never returned.

Some say that Juan Machete still wanders the plains protecting his treasures. Juan Machete curses anyone who comes searching for the treasure; if they find it and steal any treasures, Juan will hunt them down.

So would you make a pact with the Devil to get you to where you think you want faster? A bypass, or are you willing to pull up your bootstraps and get dirty to earn your treasures?

I get it; we all want a shortcut, a secret, the magic bullet. The secret is blood, sweat, and tears.

There’s a lot of blood, sweat, and guts between dreams and success.

Bear Bryant

If someone makes you, and it seems too good to be true, it most likely is.