that little voice
Winter is upon us, but cocooned in San Miguel de Allende, the overcast days, foggy mornings and cold temperatures aren’t a part of my life. In fact, flowers are blooming, hummingbirds are visiting my feeder, and butterflies are fluttering around their favorite buds in nearby parks.
If I hadn’t lived through a miserable winter spent in Chicago in 1967, I might not know the drama and inconvenience of two feet of snow dumped in 12 hours.
A half-inch snowfall was a blizzard up until that nightmarish weather event. The idea of 24 inches of the white fluffy stuff coming so quickly was a thrill for the first four days. After that it was an experience that lost all of its appeal.
When I talk with folks living in the high mountains of Colorado or across the upper plains, I thank my lucky stars I’m comfortably nestled in this wonderful Mexican city.
Every locale has its challenges, usually having to do with weather: too little water, too much water, high winds, no wind, dust, snow, high temperatures, low temperatures, pollution, too much sunshine, too little sunshine, tornados, hurricanes. The list seems to be endless.
Perhaps if you stay where the weather is the same yearround (if there is such a place) one would get bored with the sameness. San Miguel is the only place I’ve lived where very little seasonal variations occur. There is the rainy season some years, and as in all dry climates more rain would be welcome.
So why do we stay in one place, touting the benefits and ignoring or laughingly complain about the weather where we are?
It’s people. It’s friends. It’s favorite places to eat. It’s family. It’s familiarity. It’s a job. And often it’s fear. As we age the fear and concern about moving to a new place is the challenge of making new friends. If you are retired and have no children in the local school
If you are retired and have no children in the local school district or are not connected to a religious group, the opportunity to meet others can be limiting and limited. Groups are already formed, connecting with people who are stimulating or have interests like yours, can be a daunting chore.
I’ve been surprised at how easily I have integrated into the ex-pat community in SMA. Could be my rapid inclusion is that all ex-pats are exactly that: ex-pats. And we all find the need to reach out and connect with others. Even though some have been here for 20 or 30 years, many are transplants who have been here only a few months or a few years. But these folks are willing to expand their base of acquaintances, accept people who have traveled different paths, worked in various occupations, hold different views and embrace all those variances.
Of course, many of the citizens from other countries are part time residents or visitors, keeping one foot in their country of origin and the other tickling their toes with the waters of a new environment.
Do I miss my home base? Oh yes, many days. And I eagerly look forward to hugging old friends, sharing a meal with those who are part of my history. I will miss San Miguel, its beauty, its people, and my new friends when the pandemic is under control and I can safely travel.
But I will be one who has each foot in different places, loving the variety the two offer me, reminding myself like the weather, my location can change, but I will return in the right season.