Finding Direction in the Ellipsis

By Bill deRaad

Starting with an ellipsis (as for me, every adventure begins with an ellipsis)… simply because I first came to Vallarta about thirty years ago as a newbie-tourist, arriving from the northern climes of Vancouver; escaping the winter, seeking heat, and Vallarta seemed like an interesting place.  The ellipsis has been my way of knowing that I was leaving something, and going to something; a sort of dropping in to something special at midlife, but not understanding the extent that my direction in life would change.

The ellipsis has come to represent the unconnected dots of a future yet unrealized…or not even understood, but as my visits to Vallarta grew in episode and scope, I knew that it was ‘the draw’ that would inevitably make sense, in terms of purpose and spiritual meaning.

To be able to stroll the wonderfully cobbled streets, to eat from the stands along the way, to see people daily who seemed happy to see me, to talk about daily life (without the clutter of electronics), to watch the sunset, to smell the reality of all of life there…ah, to live a useful and meaningful life in a place that I love…and to happily escape the north…I feel a part of the ‘fabric’ of Vallarta…and it is in ‘giving’ to my home there that I feel blessed.

My next ellipsis is taking form as I plan my deep need to get back….