I Left My Heart in New Mexico

With so much time on my hands lately, I have been doing a lot of reminiscing about past seasons, and especially last year at this time. Around this time last year, I was hopped up on painkillers, strapped in a wheelchair, being pushed through the Albuquerque Airport by a crazy dude who barely spoke English and didn’t give a crap if my broken ankle slammed into everything in our path along the way. I can still see the image of Shawn running behind us, dragging our suitcases and trying to catch up, worrying that this guy was seriously going to hurt me. When we finally got to security, I had to go through a special line where they inspected me thoroughly with a huge beeping wand to make sure I had nothing illegal hidden in my cast. It was all pretty mortifying, as was the plane ride home, where I sat uncomfortably wedged against the window of the plane, banging my numb purple foot into the seat in front of me, over and over and over.

So it might not really sound like I have much to miss about New Mexico or last fall in general. Believe me, when we returned home it got much worse, as I realized I would need surgery and I was going to be out of work for much longer than I thought. In essence, it almost would have been nice to be trapped in that bubble of time that was our trip to New Mexico last September; reality barely setting in, the haze of Vicodin to ease all sorts of pain, and a doting Mother-in-Law to make me tea and play cards with me. She even gave me the quintessential bell to ring if I needed anything. However, what I really miss about New Mexico are the sights, sounds, tastes and smells that make it so utterly southwest. If you’ve never been to the Land of Enchantment it’s impossible to know what I’m talking about. Even if you have been to Albuquerque, Las Cruces or even Las Vegas, New Mexico, you still might not be able to fully grasp the beauty that is Santa Fe and Northern New Mexico in general.

Just sitting here now, I can almost smell the smoky scent of green chile roasting in the outdoor markets. The smell is so distinct it makes your mouth water. I can see vibrant red ristras hanging from adobe buildings and taste the flaky buttery deliciousness of fresh sopapillas melting in my mouth. The tastes and smells are so unique; when I was there it honestly felt like I had traveled to another country. These are the images of New Mexico that I keep in my memory and close to my heart. It truly is a magical, exotic and enchanted place that I wish I had much more time to explore. There is a certain beauty to the landscape, the artwork, and the people that Santa Fe encompasses that can instantly make you feel at peace. The majestic mesas, earthy red rocks, bubbling hot springs and mystical forgotten pueblo towns truly took me back to another place in time. The rich scenery and deep history of New Mexico reminded me that this is one of the places where our country got its start. It’s all kind of breathtaking and extremely humbling to be smack dab in the middle of all that culture. That’s the New Mexico I miss, and the one that’s still tugging on the strings of my heart.