Postcard to myself.

"We must accept finite disappointment, but we must never lose infinite hope."- Martin Luther King

Hey there gorgeous! It’s “Future You” here. I know, I know. This is kind of weird, but just bear with me ¿Ok? I am writing this for you 'cuz, let’s be honest, you need it to help keep you focused on the positive side of things (Yes. There IS one and you’ll see it in time, trust me.), instead of just focusing on the dreadfulness of being stuck in place, of not being able to travel and of simply missing everyone and everything back home in Mexico.

So, I came up with this crazy idea of writing you a “Virtual Postcard” simply to remind you that in time, this too shall pass and you will be, once again, doing all those things you love to do and can’t at the moment, and you will certainly be visiting, hugging and kissing your loved ones endlessly someday SOON (-ish). That being said, let me paint you a picture...

It's 8:00am on a Saturday, way too early for you to be up on the weekend and even more so after the long a*s trip you made just to get to Playa del Carmen, but your excitement got the best of you and you're wide awake already. Lying in bed still wrapped in the amazingly soft linens of the most amazing beachfront Airbnb with Mau still sleeping by your side and Molly unknowingly and carelessly snoring away by your feet. The morning breeze is coming in through the open double doors of the balcony, making the curtains aimlessly float in a whirlwind of ocean smell and pinkish sunlight, enticing you to get up and soak up the view you so sorely missed.

You finally decide to get up, so you softly roll out of bed (mindful of the adorable pair of sleepyheads) and walk barefooted towards the balcony with an unconscious yet uncontrollable smile on your face, realizing you're about to bask in the glory of a sunrise like no other. You push the curtains aside, walk past the doors and out into this rainbow of bright colors that in its vastness seems to embrace you from every angle. And in that moment, surrounded by deep hues of pink, orange, yellow and red coupled with the deep turquoise blue of the ocean, with the morning breeze caressing your skin, you cannot feel anything but grateful.

Grateful for being alive, for your health and that of your loved ones, for once again having the freedom and the privilege of traveling and for finally being there, in that magical place, with them all. Grateful for what has finally come to an end. But most importantly, grateful and hopeful for what is yet to come. For all the moments, adventures, activities and possibilities that lay ahead; for all the new memories you will be making together.

“I will love the light for it shows me the way, yet I will endure the darkness for it shows me the stars.”- Og Mandino

You take a deep breath of that deliciously fresh ocean air, stretch out your sore muscles and proceed inside to make a pot of coffee and get ready for a beachside run. Once dressed and coffee in hand, you give Molly her daily dose of morning belly-rubs while you finish it and give Mau a kiss before leaving. Everyone is still asleep beat from the trip, so the place is completely still and silent except for the sound of the wind blowing and the waves softly crashing and breaking outside.

You grab the keys, put on your headphones and start browsing your phone searching for the perfect playlist for the day and walk out to the white sanded beach. It is still early so aside from a few people working out or setting up for the day, the beach is almost deserted. Perfect.

After your run, you return only to be met by a completely different scene than when you left. The place is now completely awake, filled with the noises of people inside getting ready for the day and talking over music that's softly playing in the background. You can't see them, but you can clearly hear the sound of children (Yes, your nieces.) laughing, playing around and splashing water in the pool when suddenly "Abu" calls out to them from the kitchen, letting them and everybody know that breakfast is ready. You walk inside and you can finally see everyone's faces... Your family, they are all there.

Breakfast goes on like it always did before. Everyone is talking over everyone, filled with the excitement of finally being able to talk to each other face to face, sitting around the deck table and happily passing around the freshly squeezed orange juice, the assortments of fresh fruit, scrambled eggs, bacon and delicious chorizo-filled quesadillas made with handmade corn tortillas and fresh salsa that were on the menu today. But somehow it all tastes and feels better than it did all those times before, like it somehow now has more meaning. Or perhaps it's just that you appreciate the little things in life that much more?

“If you don’t like something change it; if you can’t change it, change the way you think about it.”– Mary Engelbreit

Once the clean-up duties are done with , everyone goes on to set up for a long day of just lounging, chatting, sunbathing, swimming, reading and simply hanging out together. You proceed to place yourself on one of the reclining chairs, preparing for the longest tanning session in forever, while helping your nieces put their sunscreen on before they immediately jump back into the pool without a second thought. But once inside, the youngest turns to Mau to order him into the pool with her. You know, like she always does.

Of course, him being the kind and fun uncle he is, he happily agrees and gets into the pool to play with her while you just lay back on the reclining chair, covered in your favorite coconut-scented tanning oil, with a book in one hand and a deliciously cold Corona in the other soaking up the sunlight with Molly underneath your chair hiding from the sun, your mom on the chair on your left, your sister on the one in the right and your brother and sister-in-law working on a fresh batch of Piña Coladas at the bar.

And just as you're enjoying the moment, smiling wholeheartedly and thinking this could not possibly get any better, you begin to hear something, or rather someone approaching. You can't make out their voices yet, but there's no denying those are people seemingly getting closer. Talking, laughing and apparently hauling a bunch of stuff 'cuz you can definitely hear the sound of a plastic cooler's wheels on the cobblestone driveway outside.

Who could that possibly be? You wonder. As far as you know, you weren't expecting anyone else, but as the voices continue you start to definitely recognize a couple of them... Your friends, maybe? As the voices become louder the closer they get, you realize that those are in fact your friends' voices! You stand up and turn around just in time to see the bunch of them walking around the corner of the garage with huge smiles on their faces.

Wearing sunglasses, t-shirts, swimsuits, flip flops and with towels on their shoulders; carrying beach totes and chairs and hauling what seems to be an industrial-sized cooler filled with what can only be beer bottles that make a clinking sound with every cobblestone it rolls over. And for a moment, all you can do is stand there, frozen. Totally taken aback with the surprise of them being there, carelessly walking towards you, waving, smiling and laughing with the sunlight shining on their faces. They are all there. You can't believe it, but they are all actually there with you.

Finally, they all get inside and walk onto the deck to start greeting you and your family with effusive hugs and kisses after which they all start taking up their places around the table, beside the pool, on the reclining chairs, and behind the bar (Naturally. Duh!) to set up for the day ahead.

What more could you possibly ask for, right? Well... that's just the beginning of the first day. The possibilities are ENDLESS!

“There are moments when troubles enter our lives and we can do nothing to avoid them. But they are there for a reason. Only when we have overcome them will we understand why they were there.” – Paulo Coelho, ‘The Fifth Mountain’

How did that sound? Amazing, right? Well, you might not be able to see it, or even believe it right now, what with being stuck in place, quarantined, and isolated abroad. But in time, all that WILL END, and you WILL be able to see your loved ones again. You will be able to kiss them, hug them and spend time with them. And yes, life will probably change and things might evolve into a different kind of "normal", but the people that matter, your loved ones, will still be there. And that is all you really need, THEM.

So, when it all seems too hard or dark to navigate through; when the burden of being far away seems to heavy to lift; when you feel like you've lost your mind with boredom or claustrophobia; or when you feel yourself spiraling down into an endless pit of despair and can't see the light at the end of the tunnel, just remember... this too shall pass.

Stay safe.

Love, "Future You"