A Serendipitous Journey

A Serendipitous Journey

By Erin Dunigan

“Yeah, but isn’t it dangerous?” It is a common question I get when people hear that I live in Baja California. The answer is yes, but not in the way you might think. It's a place where unexpected encounters can change your life forever.

The story begins on a late October evening in 2009. It was almost sunset. Sitting on the patio of my grandmother’s house (that had recently become mine), I waited to see if there might be a green flash as the sun dipped lower in the sky. I had a beer in my hand and chips and salsa beside me.  All of a sudden, out of nowhere, and in my peripheral vision, I saw movement. When I turned my head to look I saw the cause - a small shepherd mix puppy, wagging not just her tail, but her entire hind end. 

“Well were did you come from?” I asked her, not really expecting a response, but wondering nonetheless. 

She climbed up the steps and wiggled her way up onto the patio next to me. 

That first night I put a cardboard box with a towel in it out on the patio for her to sleep in. 

By night two she was in a newly acquired crate in the living room. 

By night three she was sleeping in the bedroom. 

So, when people ask me, “Isn’t it dangerous, spending time in Baja?” I say a resounding, “Yes! You never know how your life might change!” You never know how one chance encounter might lead to an entirely new life. One seemingly inconsequential decision becomes the point that you look back upon and realize that it was what changed everything. Because really, it did. 

At the time that this little ball of energy (who I came to call Tigger because she would jump straight up and down, like the cartoon namesake) intruded her way into my peaceful Baja sunset I thought I had the perfect life plan - I was living part-time in Baja and part-time in Southern California in a cute little ‘casita’ on a friend’s property. 

It quickly became clear that Tigger, though cute, was not really welcome at the friend’s casita, as the friend already had plenty of animals of her own. I had to decide - would it be the casita, or would it be the new puppy? 

So, in a very real sense, it was Tigger who made the decision for me to finally live full time in Baja. Had it not been for Tigger, I probably would have kept this back and forth life for quite some time. But, as it was, I realized that if I was going to keep Tigger I had to go all in with my new life in Baja. So I did.

Eight years later, to the day of that fate-filled patio sunset, on October 24 2013, I was walking Tigger in the estuary’s nature trails. It was our daily ritual, these nature walks - either along the beach or through the estuary trails. 

On this particular day we had opted for the trails, and as we came around one bend, I saw, up ahead, a horse. It was not just any horse - it was Luna. I new her name because she had been my friend’s horse. But the friend had sold her to someone.  I hadn’t seen Luna for some time. To say I was surprised would be an understatement. The previously healthy and vibrant horse was no more than skin and bones, head hanging, sides caved in. She was tied up, though that hardly seemed necessary as she didn’t appear to even have the energy to move. 

I spoke to her. “Hello Luna.” Her head lifted a bit. I couldn’t tell if her eyes looked sad, or if it was just my sadness at seeing her state. I was not a horse person - in fact, I was, to admit it, a bit afraid of horses. But my heart went out to her. I didn’t know what to do - she wasn’t my horse, I wasn’t a horse person, but she was clearly another being who was suffering. So, on October 24, the same day I had acquired my first dog four years before, I acquired my first horse. 

Fast forward eleven years from that day in the estuary. Luna is currently nursing her beautiful palomino colt named Deseo - Desire. Across the field from her is Luna’s firstborn, India, who is nursing her beautiful filly Cajeta. That emaciated and abandoned horse I came upon in the estuary is not only the mother of healthy and beautiful offspring, but also the grandmother of a filly with beauty and personality. And, that person who was formerly ‘afraid of horses’ (me!) now spends her time immersed in the world of horses and learning about them and from them and helping others to do the same. 

All from that one walk through the estuary on October 24, 2013. Because of a puppy who showed up on the patio on October 24, 2009. 

So, when people ask me, is it dangerous to spend time in Baja? I say, yes, it is very dangerous - you never know how your life might turn out! 

Embrace the unknown. Let serendipity guide your path. Who knows where that might lead you?