Picnic

(Photo copyright Janna Sauerteig)

I have come to realize that picnics may be one of life's greatest pleasures.

For Jill's 30th birthday, we thought that she might want to get outside of the city.  For the last few weeks, she has been going on weekend fresh-air excursions, taking public transport for a few hours to get out of the valley of Mexico City and into the wilderness of Mexico state.  Mexico City and the state of Mexico could be compared to DC and Virginia in order to understand how the "federal district" is its' own entity situated in one of Mexico's 31 states.  Anyhow, escaping life in the gritty center of the biggest city in the western hemisphere is often necessary for one's health- mentally, physically, and emotionally.  It turns out that in order to find some nature and tranquility there are a few places right here in the city that are quite sublime.  Chapultepec Park being one of them.  Chapultepec Park, like the city, feels like an entirely different place depending on where you find yourself among its' 1,800 sprawling acres.  It is one of the city's biggest tourist attractions, filled with endless vendors and sculptures and impressive museums to boot.  However, when you wander towards the outskirts of the park, there is forest for miles, almost untouched by the commotion of the city streets.  

Thus, it was settled.  A Saturday picnic in Chapultepec to celebrate Jill and life and time together outside of the Casa.  A motley crew as always, we trudged along el Paseo de la Reforma, one of the city's most manicured main streets, wedges of watermelon and bags of chips in hand as we made our way towards the park.  I couldn't help but smile to think of the group that we were.  There was Orfila, my eighty year old Peruvian grandmom, wearing her characteristic baseball cap and chatting happily with a friend that she had invited along.  She may be half my height and four times my age, but her speed and agility are nothing to be reckoned with.  There was a group of middle-aged hippie women, mostly long-term guests, wearing big hats and sunscreen.  There was Bart, our fearless leader, charging ahead full-steam as he carried the vision of the exact spot in the park that we were headed to.  There were Meredith and Jose, blissful lovers, strolling hand-in-hand and basking in the rosy glow of youth and the unknown.  The two of them met on the metro last year.  There were Jill and Agnita and Nico, the content little family at the center of this patchwork community.  

I would guess that there were representatives from six countries and five generations.  Some of us had known each other for years, others for days, but there was an overarching sense of home and belonging.  It was one of those surreal moments in which I could already picture myself looking back on that moment in the future.  "Remember when life was grand and you were 23 and part of a Bohemian community, eating sandwiches in one of the most beautiful parks in Mexico City?"  I had a realization as I looked around at all of the familiar faces, completely comfortable and at peace with the world, that somewhere in these 7 months I had become a part of the Casa and it had become a part of me.  And that is the amazing thing about the Casa community.  I think that everyone who was at the picnic felt it, this sense of inclusivity and acceptance, whether they were a volunteer or guest or friend of a friend.  Whether they would pertain to this community for two more days or five more months or an undetermined amount of years.  Transcendence.  Friendship.  Human pyramids.  Music.  Soccer games.  And the food.  Let's not forget about the food.

Homemade cream cheese and onion dip, grilled chicken sandwiches, potato salad, brie cheese, crackers, pineapple slices, Sangria, deviled eggs, garden fresh salad, strawberry mango pie, and decadent chocolate cake.  Steamed chocolate cake covered in caramel and walnuts.  Potlucks must be another one of life's greatest unsung pleasures.  I am grateful for days like these and people like these and the luxury that is getting to spend a lazy Saturday afternoon at the park.  Here's to picnics, birthdays, community, and the moments in life that allow us to understand larger experiences...