Can You Love the People You Meet on Vacation?

Someone once told me that you can love every person you meet. Your goal should be to figure out what you love about them. So I took the challenge with the 6 people I met when I traveled to Mexico last week. On the very first night I told the others about my blog and my plans to write a book some day. Though I liked the idea of teasing them that I would share exaggerated embarrassing stories, I will save those for my book. I promised to change their names for privacy, though...

Though "love" is a strong word, it wasn't hard to find qualities in each one of them that I admire. I don't know if our paths will ever cross again...we live in different parts of the country..but for 5 days these were people that touched my life. Here are the things I found that I "loved" about my little Cancun family.

Sherrie:
*The thoughtful way she got me a birthday card and all of us surprise gifts before we left

*Her energy. I still can't believe how chipper she was the morning after "the night of illness"

*Her friendliness. She treats every person she meets like her new best friend

*Her free spirit. From her laugh to her excitement over making bracelets, she has the playfulness of a child that we all need from time to time.

*Her New York-don't-mess-with-me attitude.

Rob:
*Those dreamy eyes.

*The way he understood the meaning and importance of the "birth minute" right away. I'll be thinking of him every day at 5:22. (or was it 5:24??)

*The time we bonded as partners when playing ping-pong...especially when in "the zone"...oh and he is awesome at cup-flipping, too!

*The way he humors me, playing along with my "dating advice" when, obviously he knows more than I ever will about the subject

*The way he can give me a hard time, tell me he's kidding, give me hard time, tell me he's kidding in a comforting cyclical pattern.

Allen:
*His salsa skills, especially when lounging pool-side, "flirting" with...not sure who....

*The way he can ride the waves, beating out those college kids any day

*His smile, hiding behind the "angry-looking" camera face.

*The trace of the Iranian accent leftover from his childhood that adds to his mystique

*The fact that he plays games as much as I do despite our initial conversation where he claimed to the contrary. (Of course, we were talking about "dating games" then...)

Janelle:
*Her beauty...though I will never be able to capture the extent of it on the camera, no matter how much I try.

*Her spirituality. She clearly has a strong faith which is something I greatly admire and respect.

*Her playfulness. Whether it be jumping through the waves or a game of ping-pong(both winning or losing!), she plays for fun

*Her subtle mischievous inner-child: That little smirk she gets on her face after the fib about the "foot massage"

*Her health. She's a walking nutrition-label! She probably knows all the vitamins and anti-oxidant level of every food there is. And if her body had a nutrition label, it would rival the most sought-after super-multi-vitamin in existence.


Christy:
* Her openness - though I did not get to talk to her much, she seemed to be the type of person who was genuine...what you see is what you get.

* Her hair - Very shiny and blond

* Her sense of adventure - Unlike me, she had no problems deciding what to do or where to go. She seems to be someone that knows what she wants and goes out and gets it

* Her risk-taker attitude - Though I'm guessing on this one, I get the sense she is a risk-taker and lives each day to the fullest

* Her easy-going nature and positive attitude - This goes along with her openness and friendliness.


Donna:
* Her beautiful eyes

* Her voice. Though I didn't get to hear it, she likes to sing...something I've always wanted to do myself.

* Our shared birthday and our common goal to celebrate.

* Her assertiveness...she says what's on her mind and does not give in to peer pressure.

* Her sense of style..whether it be in a cowboy hat and denim dress or sexy bathing suit, she had a fashion sense that tells me she'll look good where-ever she goes.

These will be the characters for the February '08 chapter of my "book", which I think I will title: "Eat, Pray, Love, but Never Sleep". Some ideas for sub chapters are:

* The Salsa Dance Double Date that Ended at the Drugstore
* Are They Gay?
* The Head Games of The Mayan and Don't You Know Dead Children Don't Cry?
* The Yellow Yucatan dress that Saved the Mexican Economy
* Allen's Near Death Experience or In Search of Mouth-to-Mouth Resuscitation
* The Art of Cup-Flipping
* Turning 48 and Passing for 70 (This one is already written in my "Finding Love at 48" blog entry)
* How Many Travel Agents Does it Take to Book an Excursion?


Coming in 2009 to a bookstore near you!