El Paso, border town, has lots and lots of fences. I mean I have never seen more beautiful fences of all different materials and transparencies. I’m on the grass with The Crows front of the El Paso Museum of History downtown and talking with all who stop by. In the evening there is a “talk,” an interaction. Here, the message of you-me-we seems to resonate with everyone. There are lots of beautiful birds in this park hanging out and chirping. All different types of birds together sharing the space. Cradling the El Paso and her sister city, Ciudad Juarez are mountains - which look like holograms because the air here is crystal clear. I had forgotten that air could be so clean. It’s like someone cleaned my eyeballs and I didn’t even realize they needed cleaning! I notice that seeing clearly helps bring on clarity.
Every one of the people I have met here are full of soul. I think I’ve had over 100 conversations in the last 36 hours. Whether people have been here for generations (which most seem to have been!) or recent transplants - it feels like the vibration here is grounded and in the now. People look me in the eye and take the time to have a conversation unfold naturally. It takes a little time, but people have been giving me the gift of time. One gets the feeling that the moment is all we have and everyone agrees on that.
The fence, the wall, the boundary, the border - it’s called all of that. Honestly though, the space that lies between El Paso and Ciudad Juarez feels more like a force of nature. The spirit and stories of both cities are woven into every single person and part of the city itself. The strip of land between these two countries is wild and powerful and demands respect because it is not in complete control. Here, the flow between Mexico and the US is energizing and inspiring. Can’t wait to come back.
