A Lost Cat In Mexico: A Story Of Discovering Far More Than A Cat

I currently live in the southern Mexican city of San Cristobal de Las Casas. I have been here at the time of writing this story, for almost a year and a half now. It has been a challenge to build solid, close friendships, as I find that it has been a rough adjustment for me to engage socially in an unplanned way, the way others do here. I am a control freak. I like scheduling things. It is really a challenge to change course suddenly, yet this is what most people do here. Daily life here is often filled with novelty, spontaneity, and surprises, amidst the chaos. Not much here can be controlled, and I end up alone much of the time because of this.

As a part of these spontaneous and novel experiences, I will get about thirty minutes notice, before an invitation to be with a friend will do something. I have realized I either need to overcome the anxiety this causes me, in order to hop on that train, or I stay in my apartment and let go of that offer. Needless to say, I have worked through a lot of anxiety, while living here. I am getting better about either owning that I choose to forgo the opportunity and not beat myself up about being “boring” or “not spontaneous enough”, or letting go of my need to control, and just go with this new plan and trust I have everything I need, and will be supported along the way.

One such experience of a spontaneous outing, happened yesterday. I got a distressed text from a Mexican friend of mine, letting me know she had lost her cat. The cat’s…