What is your Intention?
During my recent stay in Mazunte, I met Rafa, a local legend who first visited the area about 30 years ago to save turtles. Rafa is the guy you see surfing every day, usually at the spot in San Augustinillo, where local surfers gather and others try their luck. It’s too challenging for me. I tried, but I got washed too many times. A few nights ago, we talked about how places like Mazunte evolve and what his journey has been like—starting a family, opening a restaurant nearly 20 years ago (a pizza spot called La Empanada, which, despite the name, doesn’t sell empanadas—it was named after his dog at the time).
During our conversation, Rafa said something that stuck with me:
"Every day when I go into the water to surf, I remind myself why I moved here. It wasn’t for the cafés, the beach parties, or even my business. I wanted to live by the ocean, to be in the water and surf—it gives me so much.”
It made me think about how we can lose sight of our original intentions over time. When I go on a bike ride, I sometimes get caught up in stats like my average speed and compare them to my past ones. Meanwhile, my intention of cycling has changed over the past years and is no longer connected to performance and racing. When we first moved to Paris, the idea was to go on an adventure and explore a new city and culture. Reflecting on it from that point of view, it has been an incredible adventure and provided so many valuable experiences. Getting more involved in my family business roots in the desire to share their story and create moments of affirmation for my parents and what they have created. Now that more opportunities arise, it’s worth checking to see if they are aligned and support my initial intention. Change is inevitable, both around us and within us, but purpose can be an anchor.
I know why I came to Mazunte. I had a beautiful time.
Thank you, Coralie and Alex!
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