Mexico's "Chicken Soup"
The humorous lamentations of a former Lakeside resident who was weaned from Mexico too soon.
Today it finally arrived, the medication the doctor had prescribed for what ails me. As my condition worsened, I anxiously awaited its arrival. No generic brand for me. I wanted the real thing but could I hold out? Each day I grew worse and worse. It had been too long since my last fix and withdrawal symptoms were beginning to show. Listlessness, inability to concentrate and a general lack of interest in life as we know it but today it arrived!
My husband entered the bedroom as I feigned a siesta at ten in the morning. He gingerly handed it to me as my eyes tried to focus. Can it be, yes it is, the OJO DEL LAGO! Immediately I felt life pouring back into my veins. It had arrived in time. I would be okay.
To most at lakeside, reading the Ojo is a way of life and a joy not to be missed, so you can sympathize with this newly transplanted Las Vegan. I had lost my link to Mexico and all the wonderful people and activities I had come to love and enjoy. Having purchased a years subscription before departing Ajijic in December, I fully expected my issue to be waiting for me upon my arrival at my new home. Mexican mail had other ideas. Seven 1-o-n-g weeks later it appeared. But its only a monthly local newspaper you may be thinking. Ah, but it is much more, it is the very pulse of Lakeside and surrounding areas. The first of each month is not greeted with, "Did you get your Social Security check yet?" but with "Have you read the Ojo this month?" It addresses so many issues that are of interest and importance to us gringos as well as those involving the Mexican population.
I will always remember the first article I gave to the editor for his consideration. Mumbling something about only having a broken typewriter and needing a change of prescription on my glasses, I thrust it into his hands and ran off. Wonders of wonders, it appeared in the Ojo four weeks later. Mexico does that to you, just when you have climbed every mountain that you think your old body can handle, Mexico - and the Ojo - lets you reinvent yourself. Plumbers become singers in local theater, doctors become librarians and accountants become writers. Who would have thought! Definitely chicken soup - Mexican style for the soul.
As I sit here devouring each article, I feel a closeness with my friends in Mexico. Today I even enjoy the ads and personal columns. The bloom is coming back to my cheeks and I may even eat something today. My husband is amazed at the transformation and has canceled the meeting with the funeral director. Caution. Repeat doses are highly recommended at least once a month. Take note Se–or Postmaster. In the meantime I will sleep with my Ojo del Lago under my pillow to dream of wonderful days gone by.
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