Mindsets and reality are important I think for anyone considering a major life change. Our newest friend(thanks for your service) will soon learn.
Looking back, I should have known I’d arrive here. If I’m completely honest with myself, I’m not shocked but I am very pleasantly surprised that what foreshadowed this quest was so clear in my mind, so long ago.
Most of us have dreams and goals as we become adults, some get right to the task of college and career and some meander a bit, doing different jobs “because we don’t know what we want to do” is usually the excuse given. For me, the reality for me was that I never wanted any part of the rat race. Nunca, nada, nothing….books gave solace, roadracing motorcycles gave more…a few years later, I married and spent the next 30 raising a family, firmly in the grasp of the rat race in the DC marketplace but never acceding completely to the lure.
I watched though the years as folks struggled to pay for larger-than-needed homes, big boats or expensive cars just for appearances. You see them in your neighborhoods, in the stores. You don’t hear the conversations but you see the strain in them, between couples. They struggle to accumulate & spend wealth yet don’t know their kids get high or that their wife has had a lover for two years? I never understood that world. I guess I mainly didn’t understand why? For money?
We were fortunate when I married that my wife was a travel agent and we traveled a lot but ONLY because it was free or nearly so. We non-stop traveled for 5 years prior to become parents, then occasionally from then on, mostly Disney etc. I will never forget my first trip to the Caribbean or my last....didn’t matter where or when…even in the remotest parts(hate tourist areas) of Curacao, Jamaica, Bonaire, PR, Grenada, St Georges, Martinique and even St Thomas, all very different from one another…but all felt like “home” to some extent. Maybe “home” is too broad a word, with different meanings for different people….maybe the word or phrase is “at peace”.
At first I thought it was due to the fact that we were traveling with everything already paid for, or that I was not drinking, or that I was drinking too much…..then I heard it inside for the first time….my inside voice said “you need to be here even more than you needed to be in Rio yrs ago” (yeah, didn’t want to leave Brazil. Forced on the plane by my wife & the local airport police, fighting her the whole way…LOL).
My children all grown now, always called me a “fix-it dad” because I taught them that no matter what’s broke, it can ALWAYS be fixed, rigged or otherwise to make it work at least partially for you whether it’s a broken pipe to getting an engine to run on 1 out of 4 cyls….you can always effect some kind of a repair and that thinking has carried me for a lifetime. I expect it along with my other skillsets will serve me well. I showed an Indian (think Raja, not Wampum) kid how rig up a thin tube run inside and conn to two thicker tubes that ran into the top of a non-functioning carb & back to his fuel tank. The thin section (maybe1-2mm) WAS his CARB! The drip allowed the engine on his bike to run, abet roughly….it got him home! THAT kind of thinking combined with an infinite amount of patience with others (on a good day) lets me blend well with others….they usually don’t find out I’m a dick till later.
It appears that MY speed slows considerably when feeling at peace, thus my expectations of others slows as well. Since I didn’t grow up in the “everyone gets a trophy “era and actually earned all mine, I can handle not getting my way without a tantrum. I think an asset is in not being afraid to let others fail, or succeed. Letting our kids make their own mistakes instead of constantly rescuing them makes for strong, adaptable people…..it also teaches us how to allow others to decide “how to” accomplish a task.
I am also aware that “gossiping” is a major sport in many other countries. This sport can have you politely nodding to a conversation which will then be retold with you being the instigator….oh yes, we Americans are typically greatly outclassed at this sport and do well not to participate in any capacity!!
As are many who consider living in another country, I’m a staunch Patriot and there is no place I love more than my country but the American lifestyle of rushing to earn & spend still holds little appeal for me now that my kids are grown. There is a huge weight that lifts from me whenever I land or step off a boat down there and I’m hoping that Belize will feel similar, if not more welcoming.
My sweetheart will have to decide for herself if she can handle a different lifestyle where the electricity may brown out or the public water may be off or a road blocked by a storm. I do not tell her what she likes but she’s a smart, strong, confidant woman who is just as excited as I am. She knows that those are minor inconveniences in the grander scheme so we’ll see.
I’ve been lucky enough that several members here have reached out personally to Kerry & I and I can tell you, we both REALLY appreciate the information, tips, hints, suggestions and guidance…….your forum works! Maybe one day it will be us reaching out to that new guy….I’ve found it’s the best form of payback is to pay it forward…..Thanks guys
Belize
Living in Belize Guide
Belize Forum
Contribute
Best Places to Live in Belize
Healthcare in Belize
Moving to Belize Guide
Pros & Cons of Living in Belize
10 Tips for Living in Belize