Expat Life…embracing the change!

Expats hanging out for cocktail hour

As I have traveled the world for the past 22 months, I came to realize that I am not the typical expat retiree. I am not the International Living reader looking for the perfect place to settle down and replicate my old life…only somewhere cheaper with a bit of exotic thrown in. Even though I am in that age group, I am not of that mind set.

My friends whenever I talk to them always comment, “How brave you are or how adventuresome you are” but I think that is not the case. What moves me forward is the fear of living an unrealized life. Henry Thoreau talked about people living lives of quiet desperation in his book Walden and I have always tried to live my life deliberately and consciously in order to avoid that trap.

This week as I have been making plans to leave Chiang Mai for my next port-o-call, which is Turkey, I reflected on my new lifestyle. It occurred to me that instead of a belonging to the Expat Retiree group I gravitate more to the Digital Nomad set. That group of young people who are unafraid to move wherever or whenever an opportunity presents itself… as long as they can be connected to the digital world. Since I have been in Chiang Mai, I have been fortunate enough to meet travel bloggers, photographers, documentary filmmakers, teachers, web designers, internet entrepreneurs and many others who have reinforced my beliefs that one is never too old to embrace change.

Just as I sat down to write this I discovered a blog written by Leo Babauta entitled Zen Habits. He writes about living life in a mindful, minimal and measured way. His blog advocates a life where we clear away much of the clutter (mental & physical) so we can listen, observe and experience the life going on around us. The post of the week was “Finding Peace with Uncertainty” which was the perfect segue for my own blog this week.

The question asked was “how to be at peace with uncertainty, how to let go of fear of the future” which I think is at the crux of being a Digital Nomad…being at peace with uncertainty. I would suggest that you read his post and explore his site. He has over 250,000 subscribers and is on Time magazine’s Top 25 Blogs list so he must have something useful and relevant to say.

In the upcoming months, there will be post and photos on Where’s Bosco Now? from Nepal, India, Sri Lanka, Dubai and wherever else I visit on the way to Turkey. I am not brave or terribly adventuresome but I have Made Peace with Uncertainty…so off I go again.

I have a Buddhist motto that I try to live by… if I can fix it why worry and if I cannot fix it why worry.  I do not worry about future misfortunes because I am confident that they will always be offset by new experiences and unknown adventures…besides if I cannot fix it why worry.

Hoping to see you on the open road!