'There is a crack in everything, that's how the light gets in'

Akmed invites us into his home and shares his music with us.

Well Salaam from Marigha!

Today was a travel day — a long travel day — but as we get closer to the end of our tour, which ends in Marrakesh, we needed to literally put in the seat time to get close to our end point. Today, our expert, kickass driver Sameer took us through roads with multiple twists and turns through the High Atlas Mountains. At one point, we stopped for a photo op at the highest point of the Atlas Mountains. What I can’t get over, and what amazes me daily, is varied landscape. Deserts, mountains, fertile fields and rocky plains. Crops — growing something out of nothing — is remarkable. Mining is big here. Morocco is the leader in phosphate mining and also mines iron, lead, cobalt and more. This country has huge metropolitan cities and simple nomadic people, and they all blend together. Berbers and Bedouins. It’s far different than anything I’ve ever experienced. Shepherds here are real, not just something from years gone by. And sheep, goats, cattle, camels and donkeys roam the roads with their masters. All of this and more take Morocco from a Third World country to a developing nation. Money is being poured into infrastructure and tourism and schools. Women’s cooperatives are helping women earn an income and expand their horizons. Our women’s cooperative stop today was a demonstration (and a product purchase ... please say a prayer for my credit card) at an Argon oil co-op. This co-op produces both food and cosmetic argon oil. 

Our drive also took us through a part of Morocco that was hit hard by the earthquake last fall. The unearthing of a blessing from something so devastating resonates with me. There are two sides to everything — a yin and a yang. 

For this particular village, the loss of or damage to their homes was buckling, both physically and mentally. While it appears that not a lot of good has come out of it initially, the government has stepped up and is providing financial assistance to rebuild. And the fissures in the ground have created new sources of water for the villagers. While it won’t be the same, the rebuilding of a new life brings opportunities that can be good. My ground buckled when My Favourite Husband died but now, as you can see, light is coming through the cracks. I have taken stock of the possibilities that have opened up for me and I, too, am finding the joy and hope and blessings in them. 

As Leonard Cohen once observed: "There is a crack in everything, that's how the light gets in." We eventually made it to our destination for the night: Marigha. It is a simple village that was hit hard by the earthquake. We had a local guide here named Akmed. He toured us through his village and then invited us into his home where he shared his music with us. It was an unexpected surprise but one that I’m glad I didn’t miss. My day ended with a beautiful tanjine at our hotel for the night. I’m getting pretty spoiled and it’ll be hard to go home eventually. Goodnight and so much love from the girl under the High Atlas sky.