LW overcomes pre-trip jitters for a memorable birthday experience

MEMBER COLUMN

by Christine Bird

LW contributor

I am having a birthday that ends in a zero this year. I told my family that I would like to take them to the Boathouse in Long Beach, for lunch.

I didn’t want a big party, so it was all settled, or so I thought.

One Sunday in February, my daughter Kate calls me up and tells me to look at an Airbnb in Mexico. The very thought of Mexico sent shivers down my spine.

For a fleeting moment, thinking of my last Mexico trip that ended up speeding to the border to get back to San Diego.

The other day trip to Juarez was wonderful.

However, I was reluctant from the start. I looked into the Airbnb. It looked clean and inviting. Kate showed me a beautiful five-bedroom in a remote part of Mexico. The ride from La Paz Airport was one hour, the last 15 minutes of which on a dirt road. I haven’t lost my sense of adventure, but this didn’t appeal to me.

I said, “You all go, but count me out.”

They said, “It won’t be the same without you, remember it’s to celebrate your birthday, even if it’s four months away.”

Two other significant events crossed my path related to the story.

One Friday night I was trying to find something interesting to watch on PBS. I happened by chance to stumble on a program about Henry Someone trekking on a mule finding caves where native people had etched paintings. I absorbed the barren terrain that my family were going to fly over. I felt knowledgable about the area they were going to visit.

The second encounter was at a vibrant Mexican restaurant in Hesperia, where I was seated opposite to a very large map of the Baja Penninsula.

Again, inside I was saying, “not going, not going.”

Two weeks before the trip, I saw a nurse practitioner as my ears were bothering me.

A week later, a visit to the doctor was necessary, and I had the perfect excuse not to go.

The thought of being in a hospital in a Spanish-speaking country with a burst eardrum was not my idea of a birthday celebration.

The doctor, not knowing there was a trip planned, said “Your eardrum is fine, you can fly.” These words were what I needed to hear. I told Kate I got the green light to go.

I packed, and we were on our way.

It was a birthday full of amazing gifts. Even navigating the dirt road was exciting. The Airbnb views did not disappoint. At the secluded long beaches, we were almost to ourselves.

I had tears in my eyes and lumps in my throat, beyond what I could ever imagine, to think I nearly missed it.

The three crosses on the hillside said it all. He died so that we might live forgiven and restored. We all did have a memorable Easter.