Irvina's Pearls......Happy digging!: Feb 16, 2007

Valentine’s Day was this past Wednesday. Being a 24 year old chica I have a diverse amount of friends who are newly married, going strong for 50 years, single and even (cue lighting) divorced. The funny thing to me is how much single gals talk about being single. I think I have heard every strategy about how to find love the quickest, dump it the nicest, test it’s authenticity, the mushy perfect endings and how to shape your prized perfect love into happily ever after. Dreadfully, after listening I get the gruesome question of, “Why aren’t you seeing anyone?” Being a pretty content single senorita for quite sometime, I pondered the question, “Why am I so content being single?” A thought came to me last night while I sat on our leather sofa in our living room, “Do what you love.” It’s a motto I try to live my life by. However, if that statement rang true I would have to say that,

1.) I love to drive through bumpy dirt roads

2.) I love to bathe in a shower that changes from scalding hot to ice cold ever 10 seconds

3.) I love doing work and not getting paid for it

4.) I love getting a whiff of dog feces every 3 miles

That’s pretty much what this past weekend was like in El Nino Mexico. I went with my church to build a home in this little community of people who lost their homes right after the storms of El Nino. They have tried to build their own shelter for themselves with scraps of plywood and old garage doors. I would guess the question of whether to go with the cherry wood or mahogany bedroom set for their master bedroom hasn’t recently crossed their minds. The question of whether they are loved or not probably sits with the latter of the two.

It was my fourth trip down there. I couldn’t put my finger on it, but something has kept pushing me to sign up and go. For a long time I didn’t know why, but I found it on this trip. On top of an 8 foot ladder while I was painting the white trim on the pink house we built. I saw a God’s eye view of the dirt hills of El Nino. All of the homes that have been built over the past few years in the community were in front of me. A palette of homes in light blue, lime green, fuschia pink, royal blue, purple and mint green were spread out among the dusty hill. I thought to myself, “What if not even one of these little homes was ever built?” What if the voices that so loudly say, “going down there allows the Mexican government not to take care of their own people” and that “the Mexicans take advantage of charity and will learn to live off of it.” What if all of the volunteers that traveled down here had listened to those voices and not come? How much worse would the conditions in this community be? The only thing I could think of that would turn off those voices in someones head is the sake of “doing what you love.” No matter how stupid, ridiculous or out right wrong it looks to another person. “Do what you love.”

Yeah, so according to my girlfriends if you’re a women and not married by the time you’re 30, you’ve done something wrong. But, I beg to disagree. My challenge for all of the single, unique and beautiful women I know out there is “Do what you love and you will always have love.” Don’t bother with worrying about where your hottie husband is in the world and what precise time he is going to find you. “Do what you love”, is the name of the game. Love all the people you can a long the way. Whether it takes you to Mexico to build a home for some strangers or down the street to buy a turkey, avocado, extra Dijon mustard (hold the mayo) on a wheat baguette sandwich for yourself. If you don’t have a significant other in your life, that probably means the love you have to give is so great that it needs to be spread out before you give it all to a husband and your 2.5 kids . As it is said, “For where your treasure is there your heart will be.” Hugs, kisses and a big smile!