The Decision (by: Mike)

Since we made the decision to move to Vilcabamba, Ecuador many friends and family have asked the same question.  How did we make this decision?

At the beginning of the year I had work lined up for as far as the eye could see.  Financially, things looked good.  By the time April rolled around the companies that I had been doing work for had one contract after another canceled.  At that point any other leads that I may have had for potential projects also dried up.  Nani was experiencing the same thing.

Like most couples, every once in a while you have to take a look at your financial situation to make sure you can pay the bills.  That's what we did.  In April we weren't in dire straights.  We still had some money to survive for a while.  A while meant until July.  Then what?  What happens if we don't find any work and can't make the mortgage company?  Then what.

At the time July was out a few months, so we didn't spend a ton of time thinking about.  We did run through the most obvious scenarios and a few not-so obvious ones as well.  In the past we have always found work, or it has found us.  Why worry?

That was the first time that we discussed the possibility of moving out of the country.  As July got closer and closer, and the possibility of finding work seemed more and more unlikely, we started to talk more and more about what we were going to do if things didn't change.

The discussion boiled down to staying vs. leaving.  We started to build a list of pros and cons.  It became harder and harder to convince ourselves that staying was the right choice.  Even if we could figure out the financial side of it, which didn't look very plausible, would we want to?

Over the last several years we have spent considerable time learning about how things really work.  Our government, the banking system, big corporations, organized religion, the industrial military complex, etc., etc.  Those are topics for another time.  Suffice it to say that our beliefs are out of step with the way these organizations behave.

We have also spent a lot of time trying to understand who we are, what do we really believe, what do we really need, what truly makes us happy, spirituality, etc.  You know, what the hell does all of this mean?  That journey has taught us that we yearn for a much simpler life - clean food, clean air, clean water, a modest house, family, friends and a lot of love.

Knowing all of what we had learned about the world and ourselves meant that staying here would be impossible without compromising who we our. We had to know if we could find a lifestyle somewhere that would match better with who we have become.  We decided to look outside the U.S.  I'll discuss how we chose Vilcabamba in another blog.

Our decision to leave isn't an indictment of those who choose to live in the U.S.  It is what we think is best for us and Declan (our 10 year old son).  I did ask my son Maxx to come.  But he is 15+ and in high school, about to get his driver's license, has a social life.  He's ingrained.  I understand that.  He did promise to visit during summer vacations.  My oldest son Alexx (20) just started playing out with his band and is organizing a tour for next summer.  He too is on his own path, and he too, promised to visit.

But, I digress.  We all have to find our way in this world.  There's is no "right way".  I support each persons right to live their life the way they see fit.  Even if I disagree, who am I to judge?  It's not like I've nailed it.  It's a work in progress.  This move is an attempt to find our way.

Once we decided to move we felt very relieved and excited.  That quickly faded as we realized that we were faced with the daunting task of telling our family and friends.  It turned out to be a lot harder than we ever expected.  It was also more rewarding than I ever imagined.  I'll discuss that in another blog, too.