Never Retire: See You In Spain
The next time you hear from me, it will be from Barcelona, Spain.
Other than anticipating the birth of my daughter, I don’t think I have ever felt the mix of excitement and anxiousness I am feeling right now. And have been feeling these last several days and weeks.
By the time you have a kid, you have probably done some babysitting. And you have listened to the opinions and experiences of dozens, if not hundreds of other people. At the same time as feeling confident that you know what you’re getting yourself into, you have no idea what you’re getting yourself into. If you’re like me, in many ways you grew up alongside your kid.
Of course, a child represents a new beginning. This person enters the world with not quite a blank slate, but, at least, the promise of unlimited and unknown possibilities. As a parent, something similar applies to you.
We’re moving to Spain—a young (social) democracy—dealing with many of the same economic and societal issues we’re experiencing in the United States. We enter the country with a solid sense of what to expect at the same time as having no idea what to expect. In many ways, we’ll be growing up all over again—at midlife—alongside Spain.
We’re in the year when I will turn 50. And I couldn’t think of any better way to do it than with the (presumably) humbling experience of needing to learn and relearn so many crucial aspects of life at the same time as taking what I’m most certain about to the next level.
Of course, I have zero doubt about the type of physical environment that I want to live my day-to-day life in. So, when we talk about comparing what we hope Spain will be to what it actually ends up being, daily life will not be a shock. It will be a welcome quality of life upgrade. The part that remains to be seen—and I’m equally as excited to experience—is how the experience of being an immigrant will impact and change me, just as the experience of being a parent did and continues to do.
Other than a couple or three boxes that we will have sent to us after the fact, this is what we’re bringing when we leave tonight.
It’s a great feeling to be free of so many belongings—many of which I haven’t touched in years—at the same time as—(do you witness a theme here!?)—anticipating the annoyance of lugging these bags around Barcelona and Valencia a few times over the long weekend. We usually travel with one backpack each no matter where we’re going or how long we’re staying.
I appreciate you all for being here. And—not gonna lie—I’d love to see more people upgrade to a paid subscription and/or founding membership. I appreciate the support. And—frankly—rely on it not necessarily to live well, but to be able to focus on what I love doing most, personally and professionally. And that is doing everything I do and hope to do as we settle in Spain in this newsletter.
My goal is to write this newsletter for the entirety of the second act of my life. My Dad turned 90 last year. So I’m hoping I have a fighting chance of achieving my goal of 100. If that happens a $100 founding membership works out to $2 a year. Up the ante to $500 and you’re talking just $10 annually.
I aim to continue building a community where we discuss and dissect—
different ways to navigate middle age,
aspirations of and actual plans for big life change, and
how to best get around and enjoy the world’s greatest cities, including, but not limited to the ones we plan to explore across Europe.
A few people have asked that I list from start to finish the steps we took to make this move. I want to wait to thoroughly do this in 2025. Probably as we’re waiting for our residence permit to get approved, which is the juncture when we can start on the many administrative tasks necessary to organize our lives in Spain (e.g., getting residence cards, opening a bank account, renting an apartment, registering as self-employed and for Social Security with the Spanish government).
So, for now, a few posts where you can get a feel of how things started and how they have evolved, alongside a couple of my other favorites from 2024.
¡Nos vemos en España!
I referenced Puerto Ricans being able to apply for Spanish citizenship after two years of residency. There’s talk of making it automatic. If that happens in 2025, we’ll be thrilled, given that my wife was born on the island!
Ohmygosh it's happening! I want to say I am as happy and excited for you and Melisse as you are.. but I am sure I cannot come close to the true plethora of feelings you are experiencing. I am having an emotional response to seeing your bags. Tears of unexplainable joy for you. Adios and Godspeed you two! See you in Spain! Or is it, read you in Spain! -You know what I mean..
The atmosphere here is electric! Have a great trip!