“To create one’s own world takes courage.”
– Georgia O’Keeffe
April 1988. Santa Fe, New Mexico.
An old city of narrow winding streets and earth-toned adobe buildings with art galleries filled with paintings of colorful landscapes, metal sculptures of pink coyotes, handcrafted silver and turquoise jewelry.
Lightheaded at seven thousand feet above sea level, I bought a bottle of water and the local paper, then found a seat on a shaded bench in the plaza. The late afternoon sun glowed golden on the adobe buildings, the smell of piñon smoke filled the air, the sky filled with billowing clouds.
‘I could live here,’ I said to myself. ‘I will live here.’
A young Hispanic man sat down on the bench next to me. “I love this time of day,” he said. “Do you live here?”
“Not yet. I need to find a place to rent.” I pointed to the newspaper on my lap opened to the classified ads. “What about you?”
“Lived here all my life. They say Santa Fe either embraces you, or spits you out. All types of people move here; aging hippies, artists, healers of every kind, trust fund babies, dentists who want to be photographers, lawyers who want to become potters. People pretending they live in a more adventurous time. Which one are you?”
“None of the above. I came for the wide open spaces.” I took a big swig of water, looked up at the sky, and sighed deeply.
“You’ll get plenty of that here. Are you staying at a hotel?”
“I’ll have to tonight, but I need to find someplace to rent right away. I’m on a tight budget.” “I’m going away for a week starting tomorrow.” The man turned towards me. “You can stay at my house. That’ll give you time to look.” He pulled a pen and some paper out of his backpack. “Here’s my address. I’ll leave the key under the front mat.”
“But you don’t even know me.” I looked at him in disbelief.
“True. What’s your name?”
“Therese.”
“And I’m Will. I’m a postman, everyone in town knows me.” He reached out his hand. I shook it. “Now we know each other. I can tell you’re a good person.”
“Thank you.”
“It’s nothing. That’s what this town is like.” With that act of kindness Santa Fe embraced me.
