Just Let Spirit Guide You

Gabriel and I rented a small apartment in Puebla two years ago. Gabriel’s mother is 85, and we wanted to have a place there for him to stay in when he visited and for me to get to know the area for when we retired. When we rented it, they told us that no pets were allowed, but they said they had made exceptions in the past. It was not until we decided to retire this year and move to Puebla that it mattered. In getting ready to establish ourselves in Puebla, we asked the Landlord if we could bring Ganesh. There are multiple owners; two said yes, but one said no. So, with an August move approaching rapidly, we decided to go to Puebla in June to change apartments.

We took a late flight out on Sunday, and so by the time we flew to Mexico City, took a bus to Puebla, and took a taxi to the apartment, it was 3:00 in the morning. We had 11 days to find the new apartment, get the lease signed, and move into it. Things don’t move so fast in Mexico, so we knew we needed to get moving. In Mexico, the normal way to find an apartment is to walk the streets looking for “se renta” signs. We got up the next morning, had breakfast, and then started looking.

I have a “Dick Tracy” watch (a smartwatch), so it acts as a pedometer. We started looking in the areas we like. By noon, we had found two apartments to look at. One was smaller than the apartment we have and cost the same amount. The front of the apartment looked out upon a restaurant’s seating area that was at the front of the building. I was not impressed. The second one, the person was “on the road” when we called and asked us to leave a text, which we did, but we never heard back from him. My watch said we had walked 8000 steps, which is a little less than 4 miles.

We decided to take a break and went back to the apartment. We drank some water and rested for a little bit, and then it was time to go out for our afternoon search. The temperature had turned up, so now it was 82 degrees. We had searched half of the downtown area already, and now it was time to look at the other half. We started walking, but no “se renta” signs were in sight. I looked at the pedometer to find it at 14,000 steps. It started to feel a little discouraging. Gabriel started to complain. It was hot. He was tired. There was nothing to find. I was feeling the same way, so I said we need to look at this a little more positively. He nodded, understanding what I meant. I said a prayer, knowing that Spirit was guiding us to the exact right apartment, and we continued to walk. A block farther down the road, we find our third sign of the day. We call and the lady says she can be there in 30 minutes. We go to a nice shady spot and wait for her.

We come back and wait for a minute. A nice lady comes to show us the apartment. She is the daughter of the owner. She tells us we are going to love the apartment. We go up to the third floor, which I like because it gets better light and airflow, and you never hear people walking above you. She takes us into the “servant’s entrance,” a common way that apartments are laid out in Puebla. There is a room with an outdoor area with a washing machine. I think I am not impressed yet. Then she takes us into the main part of the apartment, and Gabriel lights up. The apartment comes furnished in an elegant Japanese style. It is obvious that someone lived here who wanted to be comfortable, and also, I suspect that they did some entertaining.

I sigh. There is nothing to do but move in. Spirit has led us to the perfect apartment, so when Gabriel asks if we need to keep looking, I tell him there is no need. I am happy right here.

By the time we are back in the apartment to take a siesta, the pedometer says 18,000 steps. The day ends with us going to dinner and running a couple of errands. As I take off my shoes for the final time of the day, the pedometer is telling me that we have walked 10 miles that day. I reflected on all 22,000 steps. I sit back in the chair, knowing that Spirit has guided me the entire way.