Blogging: Favorite Posts of 2012

I enjoy reviewing a year's worth of posts and selecting a few to share once again with readers.

It was hard to choose my favorite posts this year in part because the blog's focus has evolved. I started writing here several years ago to share my experiences and observations about the life of an Alaskan living in the Mexican state of Yucatán. The emphasis was heavy on travel, nature, culture, and life in a foreign country.

This year was a challenging one personally and in my family, but surprisingly I found myself content -- not one hundred percent happy, of course, but optimistic and centered in my place in the world -- despite a lot of changes and stress around me. That's what I wrote about. An Alaskan in Yucatán became more personal and introspective in 2012.

One of my January posts amounted to a resolution for the new year which still looks good to me eleven months later. It was titled, Contentment: If I Had a Million Dollars.



A few months later, reflecting on many things that had quickly and irrevocably changed in my life, I found myself considering how much I'd learned about maintaining a perspective and finding meaning, even in times of change and stress. The result was a post called The Splendor of Each Day.

You can read more posts on the theme of contentment here.

In keeping with the theme of staying positive and feeling good, early in the year I posted about the fine art of napping, Mexican style (photo at top). The Art of the Siesta summarizes what I have learned about the techniques and benefits of taking an afternoon rest.



In 2012 I didn't abandon entirely the sorts of things I wrote about when I first started blogging. I continued writing occasionally on animals and our natural surroundings. My favorite on the topic this year was about the pair of tortoises I adopted several years ago and which live in my back yard.

I also continued writing the series of posts called Living Here, which focuses on everyday life and adapting to the culture of Mexico. Earlier this year I tried to help a Yucatecan friend resolve a difficult legal and personal situation, so I plugged into my network of friends and contacts in Mérida. I was gratified and humbled by the way Mexicans can come to the aid of a friend in need. I told about this experience in a post entitled The Power of Relationships.

Two thousand twelve was not among my best years, but nevertheless it was a year of great learning, and I had many things to be thankful for.

Best wishes for 2013.

A Year of Blog

One year ago I began this blog. It's been an interesting, hectic and sometimes trying year. I have actually had to be away from Yucatán quite a bit during the past eight months, and for that reason the blogging slowed down at times. I am back in Mérida and hope to get back to writing.

On about this date last year I started working on An Alaskan in Yucatán, so this is a good time to review what I've done and to reevaluate how people have reacted to what I have written. I started blogging to keep distant friends and family up to date, but the blog quickly became more than just a newsletter. As interest has slowly spread, most of my readers are now people I do not know, and a few of these have become new friends.

I have written on numerous topics, such as my fascination with Lila Downs, similarities between Alaska and Mexico, the beauty of life here, travels around Yucatán and Mexico, history and archaeology, the natural world, photography, philosophy, happiness, poetry, food, and the U.S. media's hatchet job on Mexico when it comes to coverage of violence here, to name just a few.

As I observe this anniversary and look back, I am going to review a few posts from the first year. Some are personal favorites and others are among the most popular with readers.

Last fall, I spent a couple of days with my friend Jonathan Harrington and his son Trevor (photo above), who was visiting from New York, on Jonathan's hacienda, San Antonio Xpakay. I always enjoy spending time on the hacienda, but this visit was made more enjoyable by the presence of Trevor, then aged 12. I wrote about a morning spent wandering in the monte with Trevor. The post is called Huck Finn Summer in Yucatán.

I love the Yucatecan countryside and its old haciendas, so whenever I have the time, I like to wander on the back roads looking for interesting vestiges of the past, in which Yucatán is incredibly rich. At times my romantic inclinations lead me to fantasize about actually living in a remote area on one of these old plantations. I wrote about one of my experiences wandering and daydreaming in the countryside and included a little Yucatán history in Hacienda Dreams.

My fascination with the history and romance of the old haciendas is always present as I observe and think about Yucatán. This has led to some interesting experiences. One of the most unusual was the very first night I spent on Hacienda San Antonio Xpakay several years ago, when I felt the presence of history late one night. I shared the experience and threw in a little Mayan poetry in two posts about La Princesa. Click here for Part 1, here for Part 2.

The culture and way of life in Yucatán fascinate and seduce me. One difference I notice between Mexico and the United States is the closeness of families and the respect between young people and the older generations south of the border. I saw a beautiful example of this one night on the streets of Mérida and wrote about it in Living Here: Between Generations.

In the spring, a neighbor of mine suddenly passed away. Missing and thinking about him I realized that he was probably one of the most successful persons I have ever known, although the outward trappings of modern "success" were in many ways lacking in his life. I wrote about my friend Alejandro last April in a post called, Goodbye Neighbor, and Thanks.

Some the most popular pieces I have written for the blog are about the practical aspects of living in Mexico and Yucatán. Mexico can be a very economical place to live. Living Here: Economy goes into the details of what is costs to run a household and live here, and touches on the philosophy of living simply.

There are many more posts I wanted to include here but in the interest of keeping it brief I've left them out. However they are in the blog for the reading, if you care to browse the index and labels for topics that arouse your interest. As always, I appreciate comments, so feel free to leave them on the blog or to contact me by email. Thanks for reading.