In 2017, I hit a wall in my job. I was exhausted. I felt like I was sprinting all day long, from the moment I woke up until I collapsed into bed at night. I was a single parent to a two-year-old and a five-year-old. I was working full time at a fast paced clinic within a public school. I was dragging my older child to the subway each morning after waiting anxiously in my building’s lobby for my nanny to arrive late once again. I was getting up early to squeeze in a half-assed workout, too, before getting the kids ready for the day. I felt like I was actually enjoying my days, and I certainly wasn’t enjoying my precious on a daily basis. Which felt terrible. Guilt inducing.
And financially, I was in the red every single month, mostly from the high cost of quality childcare. But I also had two best friends, one a fellow single mom who lived in my building, another who lived two blocks away and shared our nanny. We saw both families daily. And I had a large circle of more distant friends beyond them. My work was rewarding. I had many patients who loved me, and the feeling was mutual. It wasn’t their fault that my administrators prioritzed paperwork over patient care. And I loved the energy of New York City, even while it also exhausted me. Then one day I went – on one of my every other Friday evenings a babysitter stayed with my kids – for a pedicure. My pedicurist was a lovely Mexican woman named Rosa. I had so much fun chatting with her in Spanish! Later, I had dinner with an old friend who had recently retired. I was so envious, listening to him talk about his upcoming travel. I realized I didn’t want to wait until retirement to start traveling, and especially, I didn’t want to wait until my children were gone. I wanted to have these adventures with them. This was not how I wanted to spend "my one wild and precious life." Something suddenly clicked in my brain. I didn’t want to continue living this half-living lifestyle any longer. I didn’t want to rush through my days, and through my children’s childhoods. In that moment, I decided I was going to give it all up. I was going to quit my job, and my New York City home, and my community, for a chance at a more fulfilling life with my children. Five months later, we boarded a plane with 7 suitcases. I had sold, donated, or stored everything else we owned. I was working with a realtor to rent out my NYC apartment to provide us with income to live on. I had a short term and a longer term rental lined up in San Miguel de Allende, Mexico, and a friend who decided to move there at the same time as I did. A friend who I had met online many years before through our shared Single Mothers by Choice community. We had only met once in person. I didn’t have much of a plan beyond that and a school to send my children too. It was a massive leap of faith. I cried as I said goodbye to my friends. I also knew that I had incredible financial privilege to be able to afford this leap, though moving to Mexico saved me money in many ways. But having a safety net absolutely enabled this move. Many people dream of moving to another country, but think they have to wait until their children are older, or their careers are more stable, or their parents need less support… and the list goes on. But what if you didn’t have to wait? What if you could find solutions to those endless insurmountable barriers and make the leap now? Would you want to? Let’s schedule a powerful complimentary coaching session to explore if you are ready to make your wildest dream come true. “Doesn't everything die at last, and too soon? Tell me, what is it you plan to do with your one wild and precious life?” (Mary Oliver)
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorAbby Wolfson is a pediatric nurse practitioner, certified child sleep consultant and certified life coach for parents. She divides her time between Brooklyn, NY and San Miguel de Allende, Mexico. Archives
October 2024
Categories
All
|