Joyful bliss:
Life is good in Mexico City
As I type these words, I am loving life in Mexico City with Cindy. I honestly think that Mexico City is the best city in the world.
Why?
- Beautiful parks (trees and greenery are good for the soul)
- Affordable cost of living (apparently if you adjust our American dollars against the average salary of the Peso, our dollars go around 20x further in Mexico City). That means no experiences are off-limits. We can eat at all the fancy restaurants in the city, go anywhere (Uber anywhere in the city only costs us $2-5 USD), and we don’t really need to worry about money here.
- Friendly people/culture: From the rich to working class, everyone in Mexico City is super friendly. And on top of that, they are polite, they smile a lot, go out of their way to help you, are welcoming, and kind. Super friendly people everywhere you go! Makes everyday life really wonderful.
- Similar culture to LA: Growing up in California and spending much of my formative years in Los Angeles, the culture of Mexico City doesn’t feel foreign. It honestly feels like I’m in Downtown LA meets Beverly Hills. I am accustomed to all the food here (I grew up eating Mexican food– my mom cooked me more Mexican Food/Quesadillas at home than Korean food). Thus, I feel at home.
- Great colors, brightness, music, art, culture, diverse neighborhoods, bougie experiences: All great for street photography and for walking around the city!
Strong health
I feel one pre-requisite to happiness is having strong health. This means — a strong physiology.
Strong muscles, strong vigor (enough sleep at night), delicious coffee (and 100% cocoa powder), enriching food (plenty of great meat).
Things that have been very good for me here in Mexico City:
- Ability to walk everyday, for at least an hour: It is really sad– in 95% of America, you really cannot walk. And even if you can walk, it is just so boring. Here in Mexico City, you can walk for hours on end, and not get bored! In-fact, because there are so many interesting things to see, you actually look forward to walking around! I theorize that walking is 1000x more important for your mental health than people realize. When I walk more, I give more wings to my thoughts, I get more creative ideas, I photograph more (good for my soul), I see more, I experience more, I smile more, and I live more!
- Plentiful and nourishing (rich) food: I love in Mexico City (or in Spanish), they refer to food which is very tasty/delicious as ‘rica’ (rich). And it is true– Cindy and I have been eating so well here in Mexico City (street food and super fancy/bougie food) that is rich in meat, bone marrow, fat, and other delicious things. Because food is very affordable here, we can eat as much as we want, without fear of starving. When Cindy and I are in New York, I feel permanently malnourished, because meat/protein is just so expensive. For myself, there is a great deal of happiness which occurs to me when I feel super-abundance in food and nutrition.
- Creative Exercise: Walking and shooting photos is probably the best type of artistic exercise (street photography). What I love about street photography is that it is both physical and creative/mental! You must walk a lot (physical strength and endurance), and you must also shoot a lot (while focusing on your composition– the mental side of things). Perhaps the physically-active artist is the happiest person.
Photo/Creative Productivity
I feel happiest when I am creatively active/productive. Which means,
I am happiest when I am the most inspired in my photography; when I walk a lot, shoot a lot, and enjoy the process of photography a lot!
Mexico City seems to truly be a street photographer’s paradise.
Novelty of experiences
I think I am addicted to novelty. To new things, to new experiences, to new ideas, new sights, new tastes, and new happenings.
In Mexico City, it is the ultimate ‘Open World MMORPG’, which so many fascinating things happening all the time. And I am out there to experience it, capture it (photography), to taste it (trying out new restaurants/food), while also learning a new language and connecting with a new people/culture (Mexican/Spanish).
So perhaps to be the happiest requires a certain level/degree of novelty/newness.
Excitement for every day
There is nothing better than waking up every morning and asking yourself:
I am so excited for today! I wonder what today will hold for me?
So perhaps happiness is unpredictability and excitement for every new day. A life knowing with 100% precision what today/tomorrow will bring is perhaps not a happy life.
What does tomorrow have in store?
I have no idea what tomorrow holds in store, but I am ripe with excitement. I hope to capture my happiness, and share my happiness with you via my photos, my words, my videos, and with my life:
ADVENTURE AWAITS!
ERIC