What Matters

It's already been an interesting, eventful year. All two-plus weeks of it. Broken pipes, moldy walls, and hotel rooms. A mild flu or bad cold. A joy-filled, heart-warming visit with our nephew and niece-in-law. Dinner parties. Light shows. Three Kings. City walks. Public markets. Music in the streets. A trip to the beach to look for a new place to live.

Before it all started, we had begun to plan our next move. We love Sevilla. I could imagine living in the city forever. Well, that's a stretch. I have never imagined sticking with anything forever — except San Geraldo! But, I do love Sevilla and have no emotional or mental need yet to move on.

The thing is, San Geraldo and I have never in the past been very good at making decisions based on practicalities and planning for the future. Good health (mental and physical), happiness, and adventure have always been more important to us than financial security.

We've learned during our first year and a half living here in Spain that we don't have quite as much disposable income as we had hoped. We had big plans for roaming Europe. We had big plans for visiting family in the States regularly, but in our first year those costs had nearly doubled. Right now, there are some better rates, but we're already well over budget. We also have accepted that, as you may have noticed, we like to eat well. That costs money. So, we realized that we would have to make some changes. Sevilla is the most expensive city in Andalucía. Not only that, we chose an expensive neighborhood, an expensive plaza, and an expensive apartment. We can get a comparable apartment elsewhere in Andalucía for half the price (and be closer to the beach). Presumably an apartment with two working toilets, no leaking pipes, and a water heater that doesn't have a mind of its own. So, that's what we decided to do.

Not So Fast
Then, someone from my old company (someone I loved working with — at the company that nearly killed me) contacted me. The executive team had changed. There was talk of getting me back. Would I be interested in considering it? No way!

Then, thinking practically and like a mature and responsible adult, I had second thoughts. It would mean decent income. It would completely change our immediate financial situation. It would enable us to sock more money away for retirement. How could I say "no"? So I didn't say "no." It seemed to make perfect sense.

A day later, I had so many doubts and dreads that I decided to make a list of PROs and CONs. After five minutes I had a list of 5 PROs and 22 CONs. And San Geraldo and I reminded ourselves once again of what really matters.

What Next?
So, we're back to making plans for our move to the beach. Back to living on less. Back to being happy. Our thought had initially been to move in early fall. Given the recent disappointing response to the problems in our apartment, we're thinking of moving sooner. The explorations have begun. We took the train south Tuesday and we think we've found the place. Nothing grand, but right on the Mediterranean Sea. We should be back in Sevilla Thursday, at which time I will start sharing more news and photos of our latest little adventure. I'll also get caught up on all my blog reading!

So — along with San Geraldo, Dudo, and Moose — it looks like Mitchell is Moving... again.