That's My Story

GRACIAS A DIOS!

Originally Published the Week of Dec. 22, 2010 in Western Outdoor News

I love colloquialisms whenever I travel.  Those are the little sayings that don’t really translate literally. They are the lexicon of the area.   They mean what they mean in that particular area.  You can’t really explain it.  It’s like trying to explain to a non-English speaking person phrases like…

                “Wassup?”

                “Bite the bullet”

                “Man up”

                Or the doozies like…

                “Word!”

                “I’m jus’ chillin'”

                “Yo mama!” 

                I’m sure you can think of others. You get the idea.  Heck…try understanding the “language” your own kids speak sometimes! It’s almost like a code!

                Here in Mexico, you hear something very common from folks.  Ask how someone is doing and they respond, by saying, “Bien gracias y  gracias a Dios!” ( I’m great thanks for asking and thank God.)

You hear “Gracias a Dios” alot down here.  How are the kids? How’s life? How’s the fishing?

                Gracias a Dios.  Simple 3 words.

                As I’ve come to learn in all my years here, it doesn’t mean an exasperated frustrated, “THANK God, I’m Ok!”  As if some disaster or bad luck was averted.  It’s not said in sarcasm or as if cursing the heavens. 

                A contrario…On the contrary. It’s a sincere little salute to a higher power or whatever name you give to It,  Him or Her…as the case-may-be.   A grateful pause…a reflective wink, if you will. 

                Not for something special.  But for normalcy in health, enough food, or work.  Thanks, I’m blessed.

                Not because of the new car…or the raise…or beating your buddy at golf.  Gracias a Dios for something much simpler.  The simple blessings of…Life!

                We gringos take alot of our blessings for granted.

                Listen…I’m not real religious. 

                But, I take a look at many of our friends here in La Paz.  I also had the opportunity to drive through Tijuana around Thanksgiving. Like many of us, I had been stressing over the usual things of the holiday season…gifts and how to stretch the budget. 

                But it got put into perpective with three simple words from my Mexican friends.

About being the simple blessings of life here in Mexico. Things we often take for granted.

                Gracias a Dios for the simplicity of water.  It’s not even delivered every day.  It’s not hot.  It’s not for  your manicured lawn. Not in a designer bottle.  It’s just simple water.  Enough to drink and wash. 

                Gracias a Dios for a job.  Even if it’s a 12-hour-day and you walk 3 miles to work or take a rattletrap bus that takes an hour to go that 3 miles.  As long as one of us has a job, we will be OK.

                Gracias a Dios, I have shoes.  One for work.  One for Church.  So do my kids.  I had no shoes as a kid growing up.

                Gracias a Dios, the family has  hot food tonite.  It means we have propane for the stove!  Even if it’s beans, tortillas and cup ‘o noodles in styrofoam.  We  can eat dinner together at the same table and laugh and talk about our day. Together.

                Gracias a Dios, the car runs.  Even if we only can put in 2 dollars of gas at a time.  Even if it has 3 mismatched tires.   It is enough to get us to the store and bring the kids to school.

                Gracias a Dios, we have light at night and had enough to pay the electric bill. So the kids can study and have a better life.

                Gracias a Dios, we have our families and our health.  And can be together for Christmas.

                Yes…It’s Christmas.  I’ll presume that if you’re able to read this, you’ve got a roof over your head; a bit of education and hopefully work too.  And Gracias a Dios, count yourself blessed.

                I hope they are the simple things like here in Mexico. 

                There’s no re-gifting health.  There’s no returns for a better size or color when you have your family and friends around you.  You can’t exchange it for a coupon or get an upgrade  for a hug from a child or the Christmas handshake from a  good friend. You don’t just say “thank you” and then stick it in the closet or under the bed and forget about it.

                Why?  You already have the best gifts life can give.   May we all be so blessed.

                Gracias a Dios to you and yours this Christmas!  Gracias a Dios. Be blessed.   Feliz Navidad y muchas bendigas a ti!

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Jonathan Roldan has been the Baja columnist and editor for Western Outdoor News since 2004.  He lives with his wife Jill in La Paz, Baja, Mexico where they both own and run the Tailhunter International Fishing fleet and the Tailhunter Restaurant Bar on the historic La Paz waterfront.  Stop in to say hello if you’re in town or you can contact Jonathan directly at riplipboy@tailhunter-international.com