Category Archives: goals

Questions and Comments about our Move to Puerto Rico

We are now down to less than two weeks to take off and live the life we’ve been working toward for many years. People are very intrigued with what we are about to do because it is not the norm. We have been asked lots and lots of questions and received some interesting comments about how and why we are moving to Puerto Rico. The below are a few of them along with our responses.

Beach and Palm

Why are you leaving? And why Puerto Rico?
For short conversations in which we have just a few moments to boil it down, we say simply: a lifestyle change. For longer conversations we talk about all the reasons that led us to Puerto Rico, as I have written here.  In essence we basically say we have never lived anywhere other than Colorado so we want to experience a new climate, area and culture. We want to have new adventures and life experiences. For three quick reasons about how Puerto Rico fits us in particular I say: 1) Puerto Rico is a tropical island 2) It is Spanish and English speaking 3) It is part of the U.S. but distinct culturally.

Invariably, the next questions make me laugh a little inside.

So, when are you moving to Costa Rica?
Ok, I get it. Puerto Rico and Costa Rica kind of sound the same with the whole Rico/Rica thing. But come on! They are two entirely different places. There are some similarities, just as there are some similarities of America and Australia including that they both begin and end with the letter “A” but they are very distinct and different places. For a quick geography lesson, Costa Rica is in Central America. Puerto Rico is an island in the Caribbean. Oh and we are moving on September 23!

West Indies

Similarly, we hear:
I bet it’s going to be hard to leave the U.S.
Again, this just shows most Americans’ complete lack of understanding of geography of even American territory. Puerto Rico is part of the U.S. It is considered a commonwealth or a “free associated state”. It is still much more “foreign” than I assume moving to Idaho or Illinois would be, but it really is still American soil.

It may very well be difficult to adjust, but that discomfort is part of the reason we are doing it. Comfort only keeps you comfortable. That is not where memories and good stories are made (or blog fodder! 🙂 ). We are completely ready to try out this new lifestyle. We are soooo excited actually.

Will you have jobs there? What will you do?
This is one of the most common questions we get. No. We are leaving our paid jobs in Colorado and moving there job-free. We may, or may not, get traditional “jobs” there.

We are challenging the notion of “jobs” just as we challenge the concept of “retirement“. Jobs, in our world, will be whatever we decide to do that day.

It may entail fixing up the cabana or wood house -like painting, remodeling kitchens and bathrooms, building a deck and new roof, hiring contractors, removing killer bees and rats and bats from the walls. It may involve gardening and farming activities -clearing the ground, planting food crops like pineapples, avocado trees, banana trees, citrus trees, dragon fruit, peppers, squash, cucumbers, tomatoes, etc or raising animals like chickens, goats, bees or even ostriches. Our “job” may be to rent out space on our property in the cabana or maybe even in a treehouse. Our job may be to take food to the farmer’s markets around or just park our truck on the side of the road and sell stuff. Our job on some days may be to just play in the ocean, swimming, paddleboarding, surfing, snorkeling, diving, fishing, boating. Our job on some other days may be to set up a computer server or teach English or Spanish or volunteer for some of the various great causes. Or it could be to just go to a party or throw one!

Basically, our job will be to create daily the life we love to live!

House Palms and Ocean

Wow, you’re lucky!
We love to hear this one. It feels good to think of yourself as a “lucky” person. And there are some aspects of luck to this. We lucked out being born to our great, supportive families. We lucked out finding each other. We lucked out having a nice, steady career. We lucked out in finding our specific property in Rincon. And we appreciate so much all of these and other great random chance things.

But really, this isn’t about luck. We didn’t just randomly stumble upon this life we are living. We have chosen very carefully all along the way. We have jumped upon and taken advantage of the random, lucky shots we have been given. In our garden of life, we have nurtured the aspects we wanted to grow bigger and weeded out the parts we didn’t. We didn’t win the lottery or get any sort of inheritance money or property. We did this, are doing this, because we had the goal to do it! We have never let go of the end goal even when sometimes it was tough going. With determination and persistance, much more than luck, we have helped to cultivate our life the way we want to live it. We firmly believe the life you are in right this instant, for better or worse, is the one you ultimately created.

Oh, I couldn’t do this. You’re much braver than me. (Or) You can only do this because you don’t have kids.
Now, I think this is more of a reflection on the people that say this than on the ability to actually do this. They haven’t probably worked the dream-to-reality manifestation muscle in a while or they are so ingrained with what is currently in their lives they think it is actually holding them back. The truth is, the only thing holding you back from whatever you want to create is: YOU!

Having kids can certainly change your choices because you now have someone besides yourself to look after and think after, but people live all over the world in all sorts of circumstances with kids! Why are you limiting yourself? If we had kids we would still be doing this. In fact, I would love to raise a kid in this type of environment where anything is possible instead of the standard game. If you have a dream, go after it! After all, isn’t this what we want to teach our kids? And the best way for them to learn this is from our example. Don’t let kids, or jobs, or health insurance or whatever block you have hold you back from getting out there and playing in this crazy game of life. These are convenient excuses and nothing more. Make a plan. Get buy-in from the other players. Work towards it. But do it! Give it a go! We always say, what’s the worse that can happen? We come back and get jobs and do it all again. But at least we dreamed and we did it! You CAN too!

 

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Unplugging (Literally)

It is getting closer and closer to our departure date.  We are leaving on Sept 23! We wanted to stay a bit longer to close up some things but there are very limited flights from DIA to Aguadilla and so that was it! We are off on our journey in 2 weeks! Yikes and YAY!

I have quit my job, handed over my phone, stopped our health insurance, disconnected the internet and cable, and given away my plasma TV. Cassie is nearly there as well (she is working right up to the end). It is a strange feeling to realize that I am now starting to float away from all of the things that connect us to the bigger whole of society.

For internet we have been going to the Library which gives us an hour of surfing a day.  This has been beneficial because we make our time more efficient.  We post things for sale on craigslist, setup our remaining bills to paperless, check FB/email, and also have an opportunity to pick up/drop off books. We have been reading more since there is no TV or YouTube to mindlessly watch. And having the extra time has been useful.  I have been using it to take care of a few outstanding issues at the rentals.

Plastic Down
Laying Down Thick Plastic as a Weed Barrier

When it comes to weed barriers I don’t mess around anymore.  When I did my first landscaping projects I would use the fabric they sell at landscape companies.  I quickly found that Colorado weeds don’t care about it.  they will simply grow thru, around and in the fabric.  I suppose if I wanted to use weed killers, that would work ok but since I don’t I use this thick black plastic sheeting.  It is the best thing I have found so far.  It does have drawbacks in that it traps moisture and can get moldy, but that isn’t a big problem here in the Colorado desert.   I also wouldn’t use it if I were going to put plants in and around the area.

Rocks Done
6 Tons of Rock

I am getting better at the shoveling rock gig.  I was able to pump out 6 tons in about half a day with a wheel barrow and a shovel.  It is hard work, but I find that when I am working toward my own goals, it feels pretty freaking good!

We have also been continually cleaning out the house.  Most of the rooms are empty and I have just listed our cars for sale on Craigslist.  When we no longer have our cars we will REALLY be disconnected. We say we will be losing our “legs” since we’ve always had a car. Once those are gone, we won’t have much except some clothes and our cat.

Empty
Empty Room
Being unplugged from a lot of the distractions not only saves money, but gives me time to focus on my life.  It has been extremely freeing.  When we sell the cars and the house rents, I won’t have any real financial responsibilies that aren’t covered.  We will have a water and electric bill in Rincon and that’s about it for “fixed” expenses.

Now that we have cleared out everything, we have decided to really think about what we bring into our lives. I think initally when we arrive in Puerto Rico we will need to get a vehicle and we will also have some food and “fun” expenditures. We will also get some furniture and we will be fixing up the property and structures a lot. We are currently looking into health insurance. But we can take it at our own pace and we will be much more selective about what and how much we plug into. Plugging in is the norm, but a life unplugged definitely has its perks. It is a freaky feeling, this freedom thing.

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Kitty Bought His Ticket to Rincón!

I went in the bedroom today and I saw something odd.  Kitty had most of his belongings packed in a suitcase!

Kitty Pack
Kitty Packing His Stuff

I asked him why he was packing and he responded that he had called up United Airlines and booked a one way ticket to paradise.  He was going to be missing out on the upcoming winter and was pretty excited about it.  He also bought Cassie and I tickets.  Which means that we are going to be closing out our contest!

I guess he really does love us and his day trading has paid off!

Kitty Leave
Kitty All Packed up!

We are all set to fly out on….well, I will leave that a secret for a bit longer.   We have a few things to finish up and are going to have a party at our place on the 21st.  By then most if not all of our stuff will be out of the house and we will be headed to Puerto Rico soon after!

Gracias, Gatito!

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Freefall

Everyone talks about making the jump. The big change. But what is often missed in these stories is the freefall, that period of limbo between making the decision to do something and landing in your new world. The freefall after a parachute jump (I have heard) is actually the most ecstasy-inducing experience. The fear of the jump is over and for those blissful few moments, you float in another world between one and the next.

For Lease
For lease!

That’s sort of where we are right now. On Tuesday I gathered up the courage to approach my supervisor and tell him that we are moving. That my last day at work will be September 20. Like climbing the ladder to the jump off the high dive, I noticed that my fear was in the build-up. Once I had done it, I was falling into a whole new experience. One where I know I will be safe and the fun is still to come.

Lazy Kitty
Kitty knows how to relax 🙂

In just this first week that Britton has been off work we have accomplished a lot!  Britton took Kitty in for his check-up and shots (the first time in about 9 years!!). We have thoroughly cleaned out the whole house, signed the paperwork to get it placed for rent, and had our first showing! And we have begun looking at airfare to buy our tickets. As for “stuff”, we are down to just two chairs and the TV. We have dropped off two more large trash bags full of clothes and things to Goodwill. And our folks have graciously held on to some of our sentimental items like photo albums. We have even sold our kitchen table and are using a card table to eat.

Glass table
Bye kitchen table of 10 years!

It is a strange place, the freefall. The transition. At work, they are already talking about hiring my position and it makes me feel strange. I think it must be that for eight years, this job has been tied up in my identity. It is how I have introduced myself many times. My little niche in the world. And just like that I can be replaced. It also brings up feelings of loss and loss-aversion. I am going to miss all my co-workers, friends and family. And we are basically taking a 90% paycut to live our dream. But when you put it into perspective, when you have what you need, when you have ENOUGH, it is by far more expensive to continue to just wish you were living the dream instead of actually doing it.

Britton said he felt this way too his last few weeks at work, but that once he was done and had walked away, the world has now opened up into this new space of creation. He feels anything is possible. It is pretty cool and weird to have a nearly empty house, and an empty yard now that the chickens have a new home as well.

chickens
Chickens loaded up to go to their new home

But every time there is emptiness or vacancy, every time there is a blank canvas, there is the power to fill, the power to create. No void or vacuum ever stays that way for long. And so when we land from this freefall, we will look around and say: What a trip!

And where do we start.

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