Retirement Vibes to Family Thrives

Why We’re Making The Switch

We recently decided to move cities, and the move is one week away.

As I shared in this article, making massive shifts in our lives—like moving to a new place or starting a business—isn’t always easy.

It’s usually far from the opposite.

Imagine meeting a huge giant who flips your reality upside down and violently shakes it, until all the fears, projections, and challenges rain upon you from your unconscious.

Kind of like inhabiting a massive snow globe and having all your once-buried shit rain upon you. At least, that’s how it feels for me. 😆 

When you shake up your world, you need to do it from a grounded place inside your centre. It’s not a fluffy thought of, “I want to run away from my reality”, maybe I’ll ask a crystal if it’s a good idea or not. It’s an inner decision that rises upwards and out into the world.

On the surface, this move of ours looks to have unfolded very quickly, much like our move from Australia to México. But the reality is, we’ve been considering this for a couple of years.

What I’ve learned for me is the consideration phase is much longer than the action phase. When I know, I know. When it’s time, it’s time. It’s been simmering in the background for a long while, as unease has risen over time. And we knew it was time to pull the trigger when friends of ours mentioned they were moving to the same city. It felt like confirmation. What better way to explore a new city than with fellow Aussies with a young family, open minds, and a commitment to chasing their dreams too?

Brendan and I are very intentional with how we live. We have a larger plan for our life, our family, and our dreams, and when we’re off course, we’re unafraid to adjust the sails.

We’re always calibrating to our internal compass. This can be unnerving for people around us with a more apathetic mindset. From the outside, it can look rash, unthought-through, and reckless. Like we’re running away. But from the inside, it’s a carefully calculated decision; a step towards the future we’re bringing joyfully into our reality.

With that context, here are some of the reasons we recently decided to move from living in the sleepy retirement zone of Lake Chapala, México, to the enchanting colonial city of San Miguel de Allende, Guanajuato.

In many ways, life has been an uphill battle living lakeside. We’re ready to simplify that in the following ways.

Transport

We don’t have a car, which means we get a bus, taxi, or ride with a friend. Buses come “every 20 minutes” (which may mean 3 in 5 minutes or once in 40, as happened for Brendan this morning). Taxis depend on how the driver is feeling in the moment. Maybe they’ll come. Maybe not. And in the meantime, you’ll 100% be late. 😇 

It makes being on time for appointments tough. And for someone like me, for whom time is a major stress-fest, it sucks. Keeping time doesn’t come naturally to me, so I have to work insanely hard to be on time. It takes me out of my natural rhythm, my muscles tense, my teeth grind, and I turn into an ogre. It’s rough on everyone. I hate letting people down, so if I’m meeting someone at 11, I want to meet them at 11. Instead, they meet my ogre friend. 🧌 

In San Miguel de Allende, we can catch an Uber anywhere we like, and it’s usually just 2 minutes away. That makes for a much happier and more relaxed Aimee (and thus, her family).

Health Consciousness

I nearly cried when I entered City Market in SMA. The sheer array of groceries made my heart flutter and my knees go weak. I’m not exaggerating. I’m a simple girl. Louise Vuitton does not excite me. But biodynamic butter? You had me at hello. 🤤

And then, there’s Mercado Sano. A multi-level health-lovers paradise complete with a mushroom store, smoke shop, juice bar, book shop, relaxing booths, a kids area, organic grocery store, and much more. I can walk in, pick up all my faves, and sit down with my daughter while she plays, all while sipping a Chaga Cola. As we’d say in Australia, that’s livin’, Barry. 🙌 

Here’s an uncomfortable truth: I’ve barely cooked since we arrived in México. Not because I don’t like to, or because I can’t, but because it’s like taking a trip to Mordor. I eat 3 meals a day and I’m not up for spending every day trekking across town just to feed my face. I’ve got shit to do!

Sure, I could visit 6 different shops to pick up my meat, vegetables, broth, dairy, flour, and chocolate, and then lug it home on the bus (that may or may not come) with my child on my hip. But I don’t. And I won’t. Because my name’s not Bilbo and it doesn’t work for me.

So instead, we order out A LOT. More than I’d care to admit. And also have our nanny cook simple stuff for us. But I long to eat my delicious home-cooked meals and my famous baked goods. I long to sit my little one on the bench and have her "help” me stir the batter and lick the bowl clean together.

I’m excited to play an active role in my life again, rather than outsourcing it to someone else because I’ve lost my mojo and it’s “all too hard”. It’s an empty spot in my heart that I’m excited to fill.

Young families in the same stage of life

It’s no secret that people come to Lake Chapala to “live out their days”. Now, that sounds romantic, and many people here do see it as a paradise compared to their previous life, but when you’re a purpose-driven family in their working years with a young child (who is a Manifesting Generator) it can leave a lot to be desired.

Don’t get me wrong, we have some incredible friends. We’ve met a lot of soul tribe here lakeside. At the same time, we need to offload with friends who understand what it’s like to head to bed after finally getting a scant 30 minutes to talk with your partner, only to be rudely awoken by a toddler who says “Mama, I just did a diarrhoea fart in the bed.”

There’s a charming solidarity to be had in having friends who understand the dishevelled look and why our eyes are always bleeding. Yes, my shorts are ripped. Yes, my bras and boobs) are like deflated balloons. Shopping is just not top of my list at the mo.

Other parents in the same lane just “get it”. And that’s a relief.

So I’m calling in friendships with mutual terms that our houses will be messy, filled with toys and fingerprints on the windows, and that that’s a great, shame-free thing to celebrate.

Now, I want to make it clear that I’ve never experienced judgment from my older friends here in that respect. But I have shamed myself for not being or providing enough to friends who have much shinier, cleaner, and more organised realities than I currently do. Our home came with two mismatched knives and 4 sets of chopsticks. Our friends have 6 different sizes of cutlery for each course. It’s hard not to feel some level of shame.

It’s a “me” thing. I want to revel in this time of my life without feeling shamed (by myself or others). I want to proclaim proudly:

“Welcome to my joy-filled, family home. Make it your own, just as I have. And step over anything you find on the floor. The cleaner will be here on Wednesday.”

More activities to do

Babies don’t have many needs (aside from boobs and hugs). Toddlers, on the other hand, have energy to burn. Just as I think I’m about to sneak my nipple out of her sleeping mouth, having already planned my relaxing evening, she’ll stand up on the bed and proudly exclaim, “I’ve got too many beans. I want to go upstairs.”

Living in a small town without a car and with limited activities has made this a challenge.

Burning off the beans of a toddler has proven challenging on the daily. Though we can walk into town, we’re often dodging dog poop, broken manholes, or missing cobblestones. It’s not quite the relaxing stroll one might hope for. Using the pram is a no-go. Lugging it from Australia to México was pointless. It’s sat folded in our house since we arrived. Our Tula baby carrier, on the other hand, was the best money we’ve ever spent.

We’ll stroll the Malecón, visit the playground, or have a bite to eat. But that only passes a couple of hours. And what to do next? There are 10 hours left in the day.

San Miguel de Allende’s larger, younger population means more activities for kids. There’s a trampoline park, a soft fall playground, a rock climbing centre, and playgrounds with slides that aren’t like hot baking trays that have just left the oven. There are cafés with playgrounds, streets without cars, and parks to explore.

The library has three rooms for kids with puzzles, games, and a soft floor to lie on and read. It’s a veritable breath of fresh air for strung-out parents who need a pause in their day for their battery to recharge just a little.

To work less and enjoy myself more

But the main reason we’re moving is because my life has been on pause since we’ve lived here.

I was a new mama when we arrived. This meant I’d set aside most of my hobbies to look after my little one in my delicious oxytocin bubble. I didn’t have much need to leave home when staring at my new creation ticked all my boxes.

As she’s grown, I’ve found myself wanting to get out more, spend time with other mamas in the same phase of life, connect on a deeper level with other humans, have adult conversations, and resume activities that I enjoy.

These are things like art, dancing, working out, sewing, baking, and walking. Some mothers may have continued those activities throughout their early motherhood journey, but I didn’t.

I lost myself, as many mothers do.

And it’s been hard to find those activities lakeside. And when I found them, they didn’t last.

This lack of ability to find things outside of work and motherhood has resulted in me filling my time with more work. Last year I worked two jobs alongside building my business. Not because I needed the money, but because I had the time and I didn’t know what else to do with it.

That gets to change now, as we move to a city with ample activities, young families, and inspiration all around us.

It’s time to press play on my life again.

And for that, I’m eternally grateful and filled with excitement. I look forward to bringing you along for the ride as I fill my cup again.

As you follow along, I’d love to know, what are you most interested in hearing from me? Let me know in the comments below and I’ll be sure to share more of what you love.

With love,

Aimee

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