I have travelled to many warm places in my life, the Bahamas, Hawaii, Florida, different corners of Mexico, beautiful places, all of them. But happiness is not always about beauty. Sometimes it is about belonging. And for reasons I cannot fully explain, when I arrive in Puerto Vallarta, something inside me settles. My breath feels deeper. My body feels lighter. The noise of life softens.
I have been going there for decades now, long enough for it to become part of my story. Over time, our connection has grown even more meaningful, as my youngest son’s life has become intertwined with this beautiful community through someone he cares about deeply who was born and raised there. What was once simply a place I loved has become something more personal, more rooted.
Some people say they have a spirit animal, something that grounds them, something that feels like home in a complicated world. I have something different. I have a spirit place on this planet. Puerto Vallarta is that place for me. It is where I feel most myself, most at peace, most whole.
Just a week ago I was there again. I walked familiar streets. I listened to the sounds that now feel like memory. My husband could not be with me this time, and yes, his absence was felt, but my joy was still real, because this place itself brings me calm.
I am not writing about headlines today. There are many voices doing that. I am writing about something else, but rather about connection, about loyalty, about the places that steady us when the world feels loud.
There is something about time there, the way it slows, the way the air feels softer in your lungs, the way your body remembers how to rest and your spirit remembers how to heal. It is not just escape. It is restoration.
This morning, I had already planned to book my next visit. As I watched events unfold and uncertainty filled the day, I paused but I did not change my mind so book I did. That trip is still a couple of months away, and I believe, as I always have, that things will be okay. And so, I will return. Not recklessly. Not blindly. But intentionally.
Because Puerto Vallarta is not just where I vacation. It is where I breathe differently. And because the people there, kind, resilient, generous people will be facing difficult economic days again after already rebuilding from so much loss after Covid. Tourism is not just leisure there; it is livelihood, dignity, and hope. My presence will not change the world, but perhaps, in a small way, it contributes to theirs.
Some may not understand this choice. That’s alright. We each choose what brings us peace, especially as life teaches us how precious joy truly is.
I cannot fully explain the magic of Puerto Vallarta. But if you know, you know. And when calm returns, so will I.
Nancy
Nancy's Notes 