Friday, Jan 18, 2019

New Friends

Sharon and Bruce

Sharon, Terrye, and Me

I met a terrific couple this week who are also readers of my blog. Sharon and Bruce are from Washington state and are doing “the tour” to find the right place for them to live in Ecuador. I have been fortunate to be able to hang with them a bit this week, getting to know them, and show them around a little while they are in the area.

I met up with Sharon and Bruce on the beach the second day they were here. Terrye joined us for drinks and dinner too. The sunsets have been amazing lately, and the best place to be now between 6 and 6:30 pm is right on the shore.

It is fun for me when I get to meet people who follow my blog when they visit Ecuador. I get a new perspective. By listening to their positive outlook on what is happening in their experience, I am reminded I always get to choose what I will let annoy me.

Meeting blog readers can sometimes catch me off guard. When I’m asked specific questions about people in my family or events in my life, the immediate thought that flashes through my brain is, “How do you know that?”, rapidly followed by the next thought, “Oh, yeah…my blog.”

Life lived on the internet is interesting indeed. 🙂

A New Tattoo

While I was waiting to meet Sharon and Bruce I was meandering among the people on the beach in Olon. I passed this guy who was asleep.

I took a pic of his cool angel wings tattooed on his back. They are hard to see in the pic because of the lighting, but they were impressive. Hmmm…maybe this will be my new tattoo.

New Iguana

I have a new pet living at my house. This is the first time I have seen an iguana since I found the last one dead in the yard. I don’t know where he lives, and I haven’t ever seen him on my roof yet. I suspect however he is the one eating the leaves of a cantaloupe plant I have been trying to grow.

Missing and Chewed Leaves

The plant was doing great and then one day several of the leaves were chewed to the stem. The following day more were gone and some that remained had bite marks in them. The plant is in a pot so I moved it off the terrace and to the front of the house. Guess I will find out if he finds it.

New Sunsets

I love this time of year. The sunsets are phenomenal as the clouds gather in the late afternoon. My camera cannot capture what I am seeing, but at least you get an idea.

New Burnout

I am contemplating where I go from here with my blog. It has been three years now and I am losing my motivation to publish. I ask myself, “Do I just need to publish once a month?” Maybe so, but I believe if I go longer than a week. I won’t publish at all. I’m not sure what the answer is yet, but I will give you a heads-up if I decide to stop.

I’ve been in a funk lately so I am hoping that this is just a part of that. For me, how I am feeling really drives home the point that “no matter where you go, you will be there.” It doesn’t matter that I live on a beautiful beach in a wonderful country meeting new and interesting people. When I am out of sync, I’m out of sync.

I know that I do not want to live in the US, at least not yet. I want to become fluent in Spanish, and build my coaching practice while I am living here. Those things ring true for me. They seem clear and definite.

The “funk” gets compounded when I’m not studying/speaking enough Spanish, and when I am not working on building my coaching business.  Status quo in either of these areas is not going to cut it for me. It doesn’t make sense for my “why” of living here if I am not moving forward in these two areas.

New Challenges

I have addressed this by signing up for a month long Spanish intensive course in Medellin, Colombia. Starting February 4th, it will be 24 hours a week of Spanish instruction, and living with Spanish speaking people outside of class.  I also hired a business marketing coach for a year to help me grow my coaching practice.

So, I am giving myself until the end of this year to make some headway. At the end of the year I will evaluate where I am at and the progress I have made, and whether I stay in Ecuador or move on.

Of course, wherever I go…I will be there.  Thank gawd I really like me. 😉

Chau