Why New Mexico?

Several people in the past few weeks have asked me…”Why New Mexico?”
“Isn’t it terribly hot there?” "Isn’t it a barren place?” “Won’t it be hard being so far away from everyone?” “Won’t you feel isolated?”

Fair question. And it is a question for which I have known the answer for many years. Why New Mexico?

* It’s an immense, huge, breath-taking beautiful state. I am captivated by all of it….the mountains, the desert, the rivers, the mesas, Valle Grande, Acoma, Abiquiu. I cannot name my favorite place in New Mexico; that would be impossible. The beauty everywhere is so powerful that I cannot find the right words to describe it.

* The light. New Mexico is bathed in light; it is different than the light anywhere I have ever been. I suppose it has something to do with the thin air in the high elevations, but the scientific explanation does not matter to me. The light is magical; that’s all I know.

* The sky …. The endless sky that goes on forever. My family used to laugh when I said I loved the huge sky in New Mexico. But they knew exactly what I meant.

* The blend of native American, Latino and Anglo cultures. Indians have lived on the land in New Mexico for what? Thousands of years? Some Hispanic (Mexican and Spanish) families go back for generations. I love how Spanish mingles with English. I want to learn to speak Spanish there.

* The food! Oh the New Mexican cuisine! The only place where everyone knows what the question “Red or green” means. Green chile. Red chile. Posole. Navajo fried bread. Tortillas. Stacked not rolled enchiladas. Tamales and burritoes to die for. Margaritas.

* The energy. The alive, fresh, excitement in the air. Earlier New Mexicans, not knowing how to describe it, just called New Mexico “The Land of Enchantment” And so it is.

* I am enchanted. That’s the answer to the question, “Why New Mexico?” Why? Because that is the place I choose to live out the rest of my life. I am homeward bound.