My life has changed a lot by obediently staying in lockdown at home for the better part of the last three months.

With a budding teenager whose has a voracious appetite living under my roof, one of the new experiences has been sitting down at the table for three full meals a day. No more haphazard routines of downing a cup of coffee, dashing out the door for business and pleasure activities and grabbing a random bite to eat here and there.

Although the switch to a steady diet of healthy home-cooking has been enjoyable, increased caloric intake combined with a more sedentary life style has had a lamentable impact on my girth. When I  realized I was having trouble comfortably squeezing into my normal apparel, I knew it was time to start getting more exercise.

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Thus I began going out every morning for what Brits refer to as a daily constitutional. Within an hour or so of sunrise, before the heat of the day kicks in, I don sweats and sneakers and slip out the front gate for a jaunt around the neighborhood, sometimes with a faithful canine in tow.

My standard route around semi-rural west Ajijic measures a little over one kilometer, enough to stretch the legs, pump up my heart rate and hopefully burn off some of the extra flab. The exercise feels good, energizing the body and clearing the mind to get the day off to a good start.

The other bonus has been having the time and calm to be more observant of my habitat. I’ve watched farmers prepare their fields for summer crops, seen cows and mares tenderly nudge their newborns in those plots and paused for a glimpse at the amazing blooms that pop out on different types of cacti in this season.   

What I especially relish is exchanging greetings of Buen Día whenever crossing paths with the cordial folks who have allowed so many foreigners to settle and share their wonderful world.