Reflecting On My First Year
We have all seen the energy, money, and time matrix in relation to the ages of the young, adult, and old. (Simply put: Young people have no money; adults have no time; and old folks have no energy.) Miraculously, as an adult, I have flipped the chart, and time is on my side.
When I decided to move from Boston to Taipei last summer, or do the flip, my dad, concerned, said, “Aren’t you too young to retire? What would you do with all that free time? Have you really made up your mind to move this time? You did this once before. You can’t keep moving back and forth between countries, right?” Dad is someone who stays put in one place. He lives in the same town and has worked for the same company for more than 30 years. He values stability and security. I, on the other hand, make big changes every decade. Just like that, I have lived in Taipei for a year.
I’ve been reflecting on how well I lived the first year of my encore life compared to what I had in mind at the start of this new life. I see both wins and challenges.
Lowering my cost of living. As I had calculated, I have successfully reduced my cost of living since moving out of Boston. In the past 11 months, my monthly living expenses ranged from 1/2 to 1/4 of what they were in Boston. I’m extremely blessed to live with family. No surprise numbers here, living a simple, comfortable, and minimal life. A solid win.
However, a caution for my future self to continue being mindful of spending, regardless of where I live. Some imported goods and high-touch services have similar prices to the U.S.; some are even higher. Plus, I want to, but haven’t started traveling.
Being healthy and accessing universal healthcare. I feel I eat better at home, and I have time and energy for yoga again. I’m covered by universal health care. When I was here, I was able to find doctors and get my meds. I’m fairly healthy, requiring only routine check-ins and nothing else. Health care here is good. This is another important and straightforward win.
Reconnecting with family. The unquestionable advantage of living in Taipei is being close to more of my extended family. I started a family tree ten years ago and couldn’t do much over the years, being in the US. Finally, I made some progress. I could only do this here: having conversations with uncles and aunts, visiting graveyards and my grandparents’ hometown, and collecting old black-and-white pictures from elders. My family history is here. This is the biggest priceless win.
Old habits die hard. Working is an old habit of 25+ years. Work provided structure and purpose, social opportunities, and reliable paychecks. After being here for a few months, I considered getting a 9-to-5 job again for all the above reasons. A friend said, “It’s easy to fall back on a job. It’s an old habit. It’s going to sneak up on you from time to time. But the urge should get less and less if you live the life you want.” What I wanted to leave behind was a job that took 40+ hours away from my life. I had so many things I wanted to do instead. It’s a surprise that I would be so quick to give up my time (life) again. It’s easy to romanticize what I don’t have. Another friend volunteered to remind me of all the unpleasant details of having to work whenever I get a job itch again. “You just call me.” I have wise and caring friends. <smile.>
Living as a writer. I had thought that living as a writer could happen anywhere. The free time I gained from not having a job, I would spend most of it on writing and reading. What surprised me was that, taking me out of Boston, I had no desire or inspiration to write. My uncle said, “Of course. Your life in Boston was simple; you were living your own independent life. You knew what you wanted to focus on. Now you are surrounded by people who distract you with all kinds of stuff.” I remember a writer said it well, “A writer must protect her writing time for herself because no one else will. There will always be something else to do.” It’s true, I also want to learn new languages, reconnect with family members near and far, and integrate with the local community. I realize I’ll only write if I treat it as a priority, commit to it like a full-time job. As a first step, I’m giving myself help by taking creative writing and literature classes. I’ll keep working on this.
An important side note: more than one person who loves me has told me that I shouldn’t give myself too much pressure to write a novel. I know. I know. I’m enjoying studying creative writing and literature. That’s what I’m focusing on first. No crazy expectation, checked.
Coexist in both the West and East. When I sit at cafes or walk around in Taipei, I’m surrounded by people like me, fluent in English and Chinese, or some other languages. Many people here are well-versed in both the West and the East. Global citizenship can easily be a reality. Without having a corporate job tied me down, figuratively and literally, I have flexibility in where I can be. I can have more than one home; I don’t have to pick one. I’ll have to work this into my encore life. I imagine this would be another big win once I figure out what I want to do.
This is a pretty good report card for year one. <grin.>
I miss Boston sometimes. I had a good life. Being in charge of 100% of my time (life) can feel too nebulous for comfort at times. I’m lucky to have flipped the chart. I hope I can continue to live a life that wasn’t possible working and living in just Boston. Let’s make it count.