the adventures of dos tortas

After the bulb went off over my head about two years ago and I began researching places to retire, I wasn’t 100% sold on México. Lisa and I had made travel an important part of our life. Every trip, Thailand, Turkey, Belize, even the lesbian capital of the world, Provincetown, MA evoked the question, “could we live here?” I guess it was clear that Texas wasn’t our final destination.

Saying adiós to family before leaving Austin.

During the research period, a movie came out, with Judi Dench, Maggie Smith, and Dev Patel called, The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel (for the elderly and beautiful). It isn’t often that a movie has almost all it’s main characters in their sixties and seventies. It also made me laugh out loud.

A group of aging Brits moves to India to seek an affordable retirement. They discover, that the hotel they are moving into has been photo shopped on the internet by its young and optimistic owner,  played by Dev Patel (Slum Dog Millionaire). His enthusiasm for the future invokes trust (also the fact that they all bought one-way tickets); drama and mayhem ensues.

The south end of Laguna Bacalar.

Besides the joy I experienced watching these characters make choices that transform their lives, there are wonderful inspirational dichos, sayings, that are really the take-away message.

The measure of success is how we cope with disappointment. Disappointment is all about living in the past and wishing things had been different. It took me a long time to figure out that it’s a distraction which keeps me from learning and making different choices now.

There’s always a storm somewhere.

The person who risks nothing, does nothing, has nothing. I have learned along the way the pitfalls of choosing a life based on safety. It is costly and tastes like cardboard. I love to read inspirational stories of people who step out and grow wings.

Harvesting from our property

All we know about the future is that it will be different. But perhaps what we fear is that it will be the same. So we must celebrate the changes. I can never be reminded too often to celebrate the change in this aging body. I am more relaxed and peaceful and that’s big for me. I still exercise but it’s by choice and because it makes me healthier and happier.

Lisa, her mom and me visiting the pyramids of Palenque.

I am a big believer in filling my life with inspiration. At the same time, I strive to find inspiration in all things. If you haven’t seen The Amazing Marigold Hotel, add it to your list of things that inspire, no matter how old you are.

And my favorite quote…Everything will be all right in the end and if it’s not, then trust me, it’s not yet the end. 

Tags: bacalar mexico, Best Exotic Marigold Hotel, Inspiration, retire mexico, southern yucatan