4,000 weeks

We are aiming to leave the US in mid October now. I still feel like there is 150% more that needs to be done regarding the house before that can happen, but maybe a miracle will happen! I have been donating household items, books, clothes and toys left and right. I still feel like there is an endless supply of "stuff" to sort and get rid of or pack. We might have found a rental property today. It was a house we came very close to buying a month or so ago but then didn't buy because we want to actually see it first. Today I found it listed as a rental, which was not an option a few months ago- so we are exploring that option with our realtor. Exciting!

Most people we tell that we are moving to Mexico for the year respond very positively, they even sound like they long to make such a move themselves. But occasionally someone says to me something that is more of a reflection about them. They say things like, "You'll regret it." "You won't find nice people there like the people here." "You know, you won't be able to cross the border back into the states again." "Mexico is dangerous." I recently read Cait Flanders book "Adventures in Opting Out" and her perspective on other people's opinions on my choices really stuck with me. When people respond negatively to the thing I am doing it is not because it is inherently a bad choice but as she puts it, "because people can only see for you as far as they can see for themselves." They may not be comfortable leaving their town. They may not be comfortable eating new cuisine. They may not be comfortable making new friends. They may not be ready to learn a new language and make mistakes. They may not be comfortable stepping out of their comfort zone. That is okay. My choice is not their choice. Their choices are not my choices. I know that I am willing to make this leap. I am willing to make huge sacrifices to try this out. I am willing to try something new with my life. I think Mexico will be a good fit. If it is not a good fit, I can choose something else! 

I spent the last two or three years reading endless piles of social psychology books on all sorts of topics including the reflections of the end of life, the regrets of the dying, making changes in your life, making the most of your limited time on earth, living mindfully, breaking up with your phone and living an authentic and generous life, finding meaning, significance and purpose in your life, and living simply. I feel well prepared to make this leap. I don't have all the answers but I enjoy looking for them! I hope I will love it. I have recently been made aware through my reading that an average lifespan, if all goes splendidly, is about 4000 weeks. I am 43. I'm at 2,238 weeks. I'm gonna give living in a new country a whirl. If it is not your thing and you can't imagine doing it- that is okay! I'm cashing in 52 weeks (out of hopefully a lot more remaining weeks) to try out a new culture and grow as a person and have a new experience with my family. I know I am really lucky to be able to do so. 

In the last few weeks we have had so much social time with friends and neighbors here on the lake- maybe more than we ever have since we moved here 5 years ago. I feel a very warm sense of community right now and I appreciate all the opportunities I have had to make these connections. This week has been full of cook outs, building/creating a wedding photo project with a friend for her son's wedding, making playdough with my neighbors' toddler, and having dinner guests. I have delivered goat compost to grateful friends and other neighbors visited with us and gave us a ton of veggies in thanks for some fencing we were giving away. We also have been cat sitting for other neighbors who are out of town for their son's wedding. What a lovely place and lovely people we have come to know. We are so lucky and so grateful to have come to know you all and have become intertwined in your lives in one way or another. I am so thankful for this Sudbury VT experience even as I look forward to our Mexico experience! It fills me with hope that I can bridge this transition ahead of me, whatever it brings!