Have you ever felt like you were in a dead end and you had nowhere to turn? And things were getting darker and darker?

That dead end was my state of mind last January, and actually, for quite a while before that.

My Name is Mora and this is how I came to live in the lovely country of Mexico. I’m from the United States, mostly in northern California but the last year and a half in Oregon.

I had been a nurse for 28 years, mainly in the operating room in surgery in the hospital. I’m 57 years old. I have one beautiful grown son who lives in California.

A long time ago I was a single teenage mother, on welfare for a while, and I got myself out of that poverty by going to college and becoming a nurse. It was a good choice for me and enabled me to take care of myself and my son.

Over the decades I became unhappy with hospital nursing, though. 

I was glad I could always get a job as an experienced nurse, and I could pay my bills and save some too, but it was wearing on me.

The stifling corporate environment.  

The very sick patients and backbreaking work with not enough staff, the hospital always pressuring everyone to do more, and faster, with less resources.

 The never getting any real time off unless I quit a job and then got another one. 

The rushing in for an emergency at 3am when I was on call. 

And getting along with all the other stressed out and crazy people.

Though I was becoming more and more unhappy, I wouldn’t allow myself to make any changes to my work life, because I had to work. Everyone has to work. I had been poor before, and there was no option to go back in that direction.

 You get up in the morning and you do what needs to be done.  I had been doing that for years and the benefits were that I could pay my bills. The downside is that I dug myself a hole to live in that got deeper and deeper, until I couldn’t see the sky.  But I wouldn’t allow myself to do anything else.

I was so exhausted by this work that I didn’t have anything left for the things in life that bring fulfillment or happiness. I would just come home to my hole and prepare to do it all again the next day. I was at this dead end and I didn’t know what else I could do.

I had been dreaming of taking off again, I had taken months off before to sail long distances and to explore some of the western States in a truck and trailer. I was watching youtube videos of others who had made the leap into living in a different country. Dreaming of where I could go. I had even downloaded the application for temporary residency in Mexico, Just to see what the requirements were for when I was ready.

The very next day the January layoff happened. It was out of the blue, there were no whispers or rumors, at least I didn’t hear any. The company told us they were in serious financial trouble, they used the word “dire”, but still, I didn’t see it coming.

Of course I would get another job. There were so many around and not enough experienced nurses. I had an interview lined up within 3 days at the competing hospital in town.

 But the thought filled me with dread. I had had a number of jobs in the last 28 years, I knew I’d still be unhappy, with the added stress of needing to learn a whole new hospital system. I felt I was being buried in the dark hole just to think of it.

Somehow (it’s a very personal story) I was able, for the first time, to just consider not going back to work. I had never thought of that before, I had never allowed myself. But my life in the hole was so bleak that I had to make a change. I was going down a dark road and getting laid off was the shock I needed. I was able to consider taking the risk, not getting another awful job, and going to live in Mexico.

I felt so happy and excited at the thought of breaking free from the drudgery and the exhaustion! Just the thought made my body feel lighter and my mind buzz with excitement and wonder at the possibility! 

I took a careful look at my savings and retirement accounts, knowing it wasn’t ideal to stop working financially, but also knowing I couldn’t go on like this.

 Life in my hole was getting that bad, and this new plan was making me feel like I could see a little blue sky for the first time in years. It was worth the risk.  And I could always come back right? And get the job and continue digging my hole if I had to. So I set out to make it happen.
That’s when I made the decision to drive to Mexico, hopefully to never go back to the hospital again.  I had made big leaps before, and I had lived in other countries before. But I had never intended to actually retire, as in not work anymore. 

I loved the thought of it and planning and dreaming kept me going for the next 2.5 months as I liquidated my household and made all the preparations needed to hit the road and become an immigrant in Mexico.

I did all the retirement analysis I knew how to do and it seemed like, if I was very frugal, it might work and I might not run out of money as an old lady. Ultimately life is full of crazy variables so who knows? But like I said, I couldn’t go on like I had been, and it might be just enough money to survive in Mexico.

There was a lot to do and I was excited but scared. Liquidating a household is a lot of work, and I gave away so much and sold a few things too. This, along with fixing up my house and finding a tenant, took about 2.5 months.

During the 2.5 months I was able to get a temp res visa from the consulate in Portland qualifying not with income but with savings, arrange my mail, my phone service, my banking, the rental agreement for my new tenants, and learn what I have to do to get down here and cross the border. There was a lot to do!

My son and my siblings have been supportive, though a little worried about the dangers of Mexico. My dogs would go with me of course, and I got a tenant for the house in Oregon, and have been in Mexico since late March.

The journey has not been without challenges! Driving through Sonora and Sinaloa in the first week was stressful, I admit.

That was six months ago and the dogs and I have been in a few different regions in Mexico as you can see from my past videos. Now we are settled for a few months in the state of Michoacan very close to Patzcuaro. We have a beautiful casita rental on the lake and have taken a break from the constant traveling, even though I love it so much.

I have to say that, though I don’t know what the future will bring, and it’s not out of the question that I’ll have to go back to my old life at some point and work again, I think this is the best decision I’ve made in many years.  I love to be on the move and discover new places! Exploring Mexico has brought me much joy, and not working has brought me so much peace!

Freedom means a lot to me, and has since I took that first sailing trip. I’ve allowed myself to quit jobs and go out exploring because I loved the freedom and adventure! But I tried to balance that with living frugally and putting small amounts of money away, into savings and a retirement account. The result is that, when I truly needed to, I could leave my old life, because I had some money to stretch out into a happy life in Mexico.

If you saw my video, “6 of the Best Things to Happen to Me Since I Moved to Mexico,” you already know some of the wonderful experiences I’ve had here. There have been countless instances of kindness and generosity from Mexicans that I could continue to recount—whether it’s a neighbor bringing over homemade tamales or a stranger offering help without hesitation. But now, I want to dive a little deeper and talk about the more “meta” consequences of moving to Mexico. These are the bigger, often life-changing shifts that go beyond the daily kindnesses and could very well happen to you too, if you make the move.

The radical change in the pace of my life has been a profound change to me.

There’s a sacredness in slowing down, in no longer working so much that life passes by unnoticed. Since moving to Mexico and changing my life, I now have the time, energy, and focus to truly see the world around me. I can pause to really listen to the wind in the tall trees, feel it caress my skin, and wonder at the mysteries of life. It’s in these moments that I realize what a gift it is to be fully present, to live without the constant rush, and to let the beauty of life unfold before my eyes.

What does it do to a life, to spend 10 years, or 20 years, rushing around in an unhappy and exhausted lifestyle, when you’re not even able to notice, let alone be present with the beauty around you?

What happens to that life when you’re finally able to have the time, focus, energy and awareness to be present in the moment and reconnect with nature? To observe the beauty and magic around you, to feel your body rest, and to do what you love?

I’ll tell you what happens: Joy. Joy and happiness were experiences I had all but forgotten about, but now I can have them in everyday life. This has changed everything! And I’m so grateful! From dropping 25 pounds effortlessly, to enjoying life instead of dreading it. I’m so happy I could finally see the blue sky out of that deep hole I had made for myself, and made the choice to come to Mexico.

I still have plans to see more of Mexico, there are so many places that look beautiful and interesting. After our break here in Patzcuaro, I hope to travel to Hidalgo, Puebla and eventually further south to Oaxaca and Chiapas!

When I used to think about my future, thinking about my late 50s, I never would have guessed that I’d be reinventing my life in  another country. I feel very grateful that I’m healthy enough and have the resources to do this, and I’m excited about the days and months to come. I could never have said that when I was in the hole!

If you feel like you’re in that hole, or at a dead end with nowhere to turn, I want to encourage you. Because life can change so fast, and sometimes an about face in a direction you never considered before, can make all the difference. Don’t be like me and suffer because you think you have to. There are other avenues open to you. For me it took years of suffering and then the slap in the face of being laid off, to open my eyes to a new way of living. And yes, money may get tight, but doors open all the time, and I’m a different person from the tired and angry nurse I used to be. 

I feel like my whole life, the good and the bad, has led to this path forward. All the things I’ve been interested in and attracted to seem to blend in with this new life in Mexico, and the hard times have prepared me to achieve success! 

Life is a mystery but years of suffering in a life that’s not really for you is not how you are meant to live! Be brave! Allow yourself to think of anything that makes you feel good; you’re just thinking! But it could lead to taking a leap that will change your life for the better in all the years ahead.

It’s early October and the weather is changing here in the Mountains in central Mexico, as the northern hemisphere tilts away from the sun. It feels like fall as we come to the end of the rainy summer here, and though it’s cooler, the area has blossomed in amazing wildflowers! Thousands of pink and orange flowers on the sides of the roads.

Time passes quickly and none of us know how long we have in this precious life. Let’s make the most of it and live in a way that we can truly appreciate it.