Never Retire: After Moving To Spain, I Don't Believe In The Honeymoon Period
I came to Spain seeking asylum from car culture
Euphoria. Romanticization. The honeymoon period.
These are the things people warn you about during the early stages of doing something big. Particularly something you have always wanted to do. While there can be and often is some truth in the idea that you’ll experience a rude awakening after the novelty wears off, I don’t think that’s going to happen to me here in Spain.
I made quite a few bold proclamations about this move—how things would actually be on the ground, how I would react to it, etc.—prior to making the move. And I did it without the concern that I would end up with egg on my face.
For two related reasons:
I know myself. I know who I am and why I am doing this.
I’m not afraid to be wrong. Even in front of a bunch of people. But, even more, thanks to point one, I put myself into this situation—shipping my life to a foreign country where I am only learning the language—with a pretty solid idea of what to expect and a clear sense of how I would react.
I don’t hold back when I write. In part because who cares if I miscalculate and end up wrong? Who doesn’t? But—even more so—I don’t write on a whim.
Sure, I knock out the posts at a rapid pace. We’re riding a 36-day streak. But I have thought long and hard about what I am saying because the conversations I have with you spring from serious internal conversations I have with myself. Not to mention the constant interaction my wife and I have been having throughout this entire process about why and how we’re doing this. That is—the support we’re giving one another.
All of the above. It’s universal. It applies to the more pivotal things you do in life. And even some of the seemingly less significant ones.
This isn’t to say there won’t be struggles. Or things we didn’t anticipate. We have already checked boxes in both areas. But dealing with things that come up along the way—and maybe even experiencing disappointment in the process—isn’t the same as crashing or even coming down a little after some euphoria-filled honeymoon period.
This ain’t no crush. This is real love. Real life.