Choosing To Be Less Than Totally Free

Many of the expatriates from the USA and Canada who come to retire in San Miguel de Allende seem to experience a renewal of spirit and creativity. They are so excited about this rejuvenation or sometimes reinvention of self that they have a tendency to encourage others to come join them and experience the same thing. In some ways, San Miguel really does seem to be like the elusive fountain of youth--particularly so for people who love the creative arts as I do. I would be happy to spend more time writing, painting, and socializing with the art community.

But much as I love the creative arts, I would not choose to spend multiple months away from my daughters and grandson. I made a similar choice many years ago when I decided to get married. I knew that it meant I would no longer be totally free. But I wanted a family. For me getting married and having children was the right choice even though it meant giving up that sense of freedom.

It's still a challenge for me to find the right balance of priorities. Sometimes, I don't take good enough care of myself. I'm getting better at this, but it's a work in progress. I'll have to keep looking at http://www.spaceclear.com for additional inspiration and support.

I definitely do feel a sense of renewal from being here. I'm glad that I chose to come despite the imperfect weather. But I have no doubt that I'll be just as happy to go home again to see my family and friends in the San Francisco Bay area.

Micha and I both took a number of photos today with my Android phone. Now that I've gotten used to it, I don't think I'll bother trying to get a USB cable for my regular digital camera. I can wirelessly upload photos from the Android to Picassa and then add them easily to my blog.

FYI: I wrote captions, but unfortunately you won't be able to see them in the blog. I wasn't able to import them directly from Picassa to the blog (too complicated to explain), and the captions got lost in the transitions.

Now that it's not raining, we managed to take more photos as we are walking back and forth from school. Wanted to give you a better idea of why I think it's okay that I'm not going to exercise classes while I'm here.