Lately I've been pining for big changes. Trust me when I say in the last month my brain has been moving at lightning speed working on ideas and solutions to get the end result I'm looking for. I think backwards, focusing on the end result and then I do whatever it takes to get there. When you know EXACTLY what you want you won't let silly setbacks get you down, you'll find a solution! Here's a peek into how this brain of mine works.
The path I want to take in life looks like this:
- more time as a family
- a sense of adventure
- going outside my comfort zone
- downsizing and simplifying
- learning new things
- exploring the world
- showing my children what's truly important in life
Once I had an idea of the lifestyle changes I wanted to see, I thought about what kind of a life would be conducive to that lifestyle.
My first solution was moving to another country where family is highly regarded and life is simpler {e.g. Costa Rica}
After researching Costa Rica, I found that my random selection was a great choice! The fact that they are one of the greenest countries (literally and figuratively) and that they have one of the best health care systems in the WORLD was amazing, but what was most alluring was their family life. Life there is dedicated to your family. Nearly all adult couples have children. The schools are very well run and the neighborhoods are safe as parents are very involved in their children's comings and goings.
This is where most people {negative people in my humble opinion} start thinking "Are you crazy? But what about this? And what about that? And how will you get visas and such?" Here's the thing, I am a big thinker and a huge dreamer, but I'm not oblivious. I ALWAYS play Devil's Advocate to all of my ideas. Trust me I have thought about EVERYTHING. Every pro and con has been written down and considered. Yes, it would be hard, but I am not afraid of obstacles. a) I don't believe a seamlessly perfect life devoid of problems exists and b) if I spent my life making decisions based on how difficult or challenging the road ahead would be, my life would be entirely different. Remember that time I got pregnant the summer after junior year in high school? {Good times.} There were actually people who asked "Oh my god, you're gonna keep it??? But you're going to have to carry it for 9 full months, and then DELIVER it, and then be up all night with it, and then raise it, and how will you afford to raise it? What will you do for work? What will happen between you and the baby's father?..." All valid points, but what was I supposed to say? "Oh. I didn't think of that. Let me hop into my time machine and change that." or "Oh. You're right. I'll make an appointment at the clinic right now." Not. I learned so much about myself during that part of my life. Some people kept their thoughts to themselves, some came right out and told me what they thought of me and my life, but I paid no mind. I knew one thing that they didn't: I am my mother's daughter. I have looked failure right in the face and shrugged it off. I refuse to allow the fear of failure to play a role in my decision making. This case is very similar. I'm not romanticizing this idea. It is a huge idea {key word: "idea"... not: "plan"} that is crazy and wild and insane, and would certainly be a challenge, but I would never let that get in my way and I certainly wouldn't let someone else's fear of my failure get in my way!
With all that said, there were in fact a few cons that really outweighed the pros on this one:
- Being away from our family for a year would be one thing, but if we were to fall in love with the lifestyle and the location and want to stay permanently I would be robbing my children of amazing grandparents and aunties and uncles. Of course we would miss our families too!
- The feeling of being so far from "home" that when something bad is happening we would feel lost and helpless.
And lastly, but most importantly:
- How dare I move my family outside of the U.S. for a better lifestyle, when they haven't even seen their own country???
So that idea isn't scrapped entirely, but is instead morphing. Bigger ideas are brewing....