My adrenaline spiked, and my heart was pounding.
“The most dangerous snake in the world” had just lunged at my leg. The cranky little b******d, an eastern brown, was in a mood.
Back when I was young and full of myself, I amassed a prized collection of 27 snakes…a couple of death adders, red-bellied blacks… all the nice guys. And, my collection was worth thousands. After my brush with death, I sold them all…
Ever eager to trade up to the next (expensive) hobby, I thought I’d try defying death under the sea. So next came scuba diving… then off-road dirt biking. Such fun, but after an adventure faceplanting and spending more time in the sand than on the bike, I traded up again, this time for an Irish Sport Horse.
With each new hobby, I got more extravagant, but I didn’t care. I worked in finance at the time and had a good salary. I needed all the fun toys after long, stressful days in the boys' club. Because of long work hours, Flight, my “I freak out at butterflies” spirited horse, was traded in and up for another smooth ride: a BMW. For the freedom to go anywhere, that was traded up in turn for a 4WD. All of these material things were well and good, but something was missing.
I was still exhausted, under constant pressure to perform and achieve big goals. Something had to change because the expensive toys sat in the garage while I worked long hours. I wanted a life where I wasn’t exhausted all the time. One that let me slow down and live it. Moving abroad did just that. Enough was enough of long days! I’d done the finance slog, a stint in the Navy…
Finally, I went for it.
Trading Up in Life
A fresh start overseas, trading in my exhausting life for a creative one in the Mexican Caribbean.
Now that’s a trade-up.
Starting my day with a pot of tea, sketching on my balcony instead of battling traffic is heavenly. I’m thankful for walks overlooking the Caribbean instead of the hustle and bustle of crowds. Stopping for a swim and seeing a rainbow of tropical fish…that’s how I wanted to start my day.
Living in a country that doesn’t demand a high salary for a basic standard of living meant the life I’d always dreamed of was achievable.
(That’s not just my experience. Back in 2023, International Living ran the numbers on Playa del Carmen, just down the coast from me. A couple could rent a two-bedroom apartment a few blocks from the beach and live well on around $2,000 a month. That’s a beach life for less than many folks pay for rent back home.)
Most importantly, it offers a life full of freedom. Freedom to work how I wanted, when I wanted, and do what I love. A creative life as a writer, photographer, and videographer. And now, artist.
Looking back, it’s obvious I had always been searching for something. It was never about money.
It was about fulfillment. Contentment. Happiness. The hobbies were great. But whether you get a horse or a fancy new car, you’re on a high for a few weeks until it becomes normal and the lustre is gone.
Those material things didn’t make me feel rich. Turns out, what I wanted couldn’t be bought: richness of life.
Every toy I bought gave me a thrill for three weeks. Then it sat in the garage. The one trade-up that never wore off didn’t cost me more. It cost me less. I traded an expensive life for a richer one.
Stitching the Missing Parts of Myself Back Together
Like being relaxed enough to pick up art again. Art has healed that old exhaustion. So much so that it feels like all the missing parts of myself have stitched back together into a glorious whole. I call it the Bel Quilt. A patchwork of beautiful experiences, careers, good and bad times. A life quilt.
Thinking back to those rat-race times in my life, one thing is clear: living abroad saved me. As I sit here writing this to you, I can honestly say that I’m living the life I wanted.
So, let me share this…it is achievable. For everybody.
There's freedom when you move abroad. No one knows you. There is no pressure. You can relax and just be yourself. That’s when fulfillment settles in and you can build the life you want. For me, that’s a creative life.
Next week, my work is snorkeling. Yes, I’ll be writing about a snorkeling meet-up. It fulfills my love of the ocean, swimming, and nature. And of language. It is a language exchange, after all, so I can practice my Spanish while they practice their English. Win-win.
“I can’t believe this is work,” I say to myself regularly. By moving abroad, I leveled up my life. And I’m happy. That is priceless.
