I have been to a lot of places that felt very spiritual in nature. Massive cathedrals and cemeteries. But the most personally spiritual place I ever visited was an unlikely place- a small cantina in Mexico.
My childhood sweetheart/first husband and I had taken an adventurous road trip down to Ensenada one year. We had a blast. A couple years after he was killed I found myself drinking a margarita at a small cantina we had gone to in Cabo San Lucas and was overwhelmed by the memories of the last time I had been there.
Suddenly the radio- which had been all Spanish-speaking traditional music played an American song- but not just any English song- one from Guns and Roses- one of our favorite bands called Don’t Cry
Talk to me softly
There is something in your eyes
Don’t hang your head in sorrow
And please don’t cry
I know how you feel inside I’ve
I’ve been there before
Somethin is changin’ inside you
And don’t you know
Don’t you cry tonight
I still love you baby
Don’t you cry tonight
Don’t you cry tonight
There’s a heaven above you baby
And don’t you cry tonight
Give me a whisper
And give me a sign
Give me a kiss before you
tell me goodbye
Don’t you take it so hard now
And please don’t take it so bad
I’ll still be thinkin’ of you
And the times we had…baby
And don’t you cry tonight
Don’t you cry tonight
Don’t you cry tonight
There’s a heaven above you baby
And don’t you cry tonight
And please remember that I never lied
And please remember
how I felt inside now honey
You gotta make it your own way
But you’ll be alright now sugar
You’ll feel better tomorrow
Come the morning light now baby
And don’t you cry tonight
And don’t you cry tonight
And don’t you cry tonight
There’s a heaven above you baby
And don’t you cry
Don’t you ever cry
Don’t you cry tonight
Baby maybe someday
Don’t you cry
Don’t you ever cry
Don’t you cry
Tonight
It was surreal- nobody around me seemed to even notice the sudden change in the music. When it was over it switched right back to traditional Spanish music and conversation.
For the rest of my trip I never heard any other American songs. So yeah- a little cantina to me was the most spiritual place I have ever been. It was where my love on the other side told me he was okay and that I would be good too.