Date of Birth – Date of Passing

I read sometwhere this week that you do not pick your date of birth or the day you pass away.  You can, however,  decide what to do with the time you have between those two dates i.e. the dash.

I was born in Toronto, Canada and I thought I would die there. My husband had different plans for us and we have been in Ajijic, Lake Chapala since 1994 after two recon trips.

We had come here to see the Eagers in 1979 but I was not impressed with the area at that time.  When we came back in the early 1990’s things had changed considerably and although I did love Ajijic I was worried about leaving my mom, who was sick, and raising our children here.

My husband’s mother said something that finally pushed me over the edge and that was “at the very least you are giving your children the gift of another language”.  They are now tri-lingual as they were in French Immersion in Toronto.  Doors have been opened for them all over the world because of their languages and the education they got here got them into colleges and universities on both Canada and the US.

When my mom got worse I flew back to Toronto and stayed with her until she passed 6 weeks later.  Having an International Airport so close is one of the great pluses of Ajijic, Lake Chapala.

Once I got here I wondered how I could have spent so much of my life in a cold, grey climate. Don’t even get me tarted on the taxes. I have loved every minute of every day and truly believe that sunshine is good for the soul.  I love the outdoor living and we do have season changes here.  They are not, perhaps, not as dramatic as up north but they have their own distinctive beauty.

It took my husband 10 years to talk me into moving here and I wish he had found the right words sooner so I could have made better use of my “dash” sooner.

If you are thinking of relocating or retiring in Ajijic, Lake Chapala, find someone who can answer all of your questions.  I think once you do that you too will want to live in paradise.