Americans Don't Understand the Term "Leisure Time". Mexicans Do!

Me and my "Familia Nuevo" at dinner

Leisure time. The phrase alone should conjure up images of hammocks, margaritas, and maybe a hint of mariachi in the background. Instead, in the U.S., it usually means yelling at your kid’s soccer coach or pretending to “relax” while watching TikToks and listening to your Apple Watch congratulate you for your skyrocketing blood pressure.

We all need leisure time. Mexicans actually enjoy it. Americans, God bless ’em, weaponize it.

Now before the hypersensitive start hurling their Starbucks cups at the screen, of course I don’t mean all Mexicans and all Americans. But after six months here, I’ve seen it. I’ve felt it. I’ve become gloriously infected by it.

Let’s Start with Restaurants. In the States, if you don’t get your eggs in 90 seconds, you start twitching like a Trump-informed trader watching Bitcoin drop. Here? Time is more… fluid. You might get your huevos in five minutes. You might get them in half an hour. Either way, no one cares. You sip your coffee, chat, and (Gasp!) engage in conversation.

And when everyone finishes eating? In America, the plates are whisked away faster than the dignity of a Portland resident whose MAGA parents have loudly come to visit. Here? No one moves. You could sit for another hour, basking in the afterglow of conversation. The waiters aren’t hovering, the manager isn’t fake-smiling, and no one’s passive-aggressively jingling keys. It’s understood that this is your time. As a matter of fact, if you don’t actually ASK for the “la cuenta” (the check) they ain’t bringing it! Another thing I noticed is if you use your credit cart, it never leaves your site! They bring the terminal to your table and process it in front of you. I like that for obvious reasons!

A Walk in the Park – Seriously, It's a Thing Going for a walk in a park was something that always sounded just way too “exciting” for the

Type A personality. I mean, hello! It’s a park. But if forced to, I would endure it for the minimum time necessary and then get onto to doing something worth doing – like video games that stress you out! Here, a walk in the park is a thing. If you go to dinner in the evening and there is a park nearby, your espousa and you will be walking in it, afterward! And guess what! It’s like Environmental Valium. Abuelita is there with her grandchildren, telling stories about what a handsome Mariachi grandpa was back in the day. Street vendors selling everything from food to toys to… auto parts!?!?! The complete absence of the “cartel war-zone” that Trump and his Minions describe as being all of Mexico, is replaced with a serene scene of tranquility! Somehow, what seemed like a few minutes, turned into an hour. I LOVE parks in Mexico!

“The Neverending Story”  AKA Conversation in Mexico We had friends over “to play pool.” They showed up at 6:30. They of course, brought a bottle

of wine (no one shows up empty-handed in Mexico) and we started talking. About life. About Mexico. About both Mexican and US politics. About business. About why Americans can’t seem to sit still for more than 11 seconds without fidgeting with their phones. We didn’t even touch a cue until after 9pm!

Sports: Competitive? Great! Social? Mandatory! The cultural superiority of Mexican leisure time even extends to competition. Golfers here spend an hour chatting at the range before teeing off. Hell, they’ll spend an hour at the 9^th hole drinking, talking and letting other golfers go through! Tennis players warm up for half an hour before playing. At first, I thought they were all insane. I’d be standing there, bouncing a ball, glancing at my watch, thinking, “We do remember this is a tennis match,

right?” But no one seemed in a hurry. They actually enjoy the social time  of golf, tennis and literally anything else they do!

After matches, everyone hugs, kisses, and takes a photo together. No one complains about “sandbaggers” or “bad calls.” Nobody mutters about being “robbed.” Instead, they laugh, bring out the beer and street food that someone always picks up on the way to the club.

Leisure time. They understand it here. They live it. They breathe it.

Life is better in Mexico: not because it’s cheaper or warmer, but because people remember to just live in the moment. That’s kinda the definition of leisure time!