Happiness is a Choice: La felicidad es una decisión

La felicidad es una decisión, or "Happiness is a Choice"--this is a phrase we saw repeated over and over in our travels, especially in Mexico. The Mayan Riviera is a beautiful place, and it's difficult to stay angry or bitter when you are surrounded by so much natural beauty. 


People just seemed... more content. Even in the face of scarcity. We were invited to dinner in people's homes, and everyone always bent over backwards to share what they had with us, even if it was just a simple plate of beans and rice. People laughed more. Spent time outside. Laughed with their families. 

It's a difficult concept to explain, and I have a hard time understanding it myself. When we come back to the US, our beds are softer, the showers are always hot, the electricity never goes out--and so on. We enjoy plush carpets, 2 (gasp !) refrigerators, a TV in each bedroom... you get the idea. We appreciate all the modern amenities that our modern society has to offer. 

But a few months after getting back, the stress is already starting to creep back into our lives. The kids have stopped playing outside. We are stuck working overtime, trying to make deadlines. Stuck in traffic during rush hour, Sometimes for hours. My eyes hurt from being in front of a computer too long. My wife's skin problems, associated with stress, make their return.  I have more trouble sleeping. And we both start gaining weight. Amazing, since we both felt like we ate more in Mexico. 

We were outside more, walked more, explored more. 

Is this the trade-off we've made? Work and more work, in exchange for better appliances? It just doesn't seem fair. Like many, we "straddle the border" with frequent trips back to the US, usually for business. 

What is so different about the expat lifestyle? Why was there LESS STRESS in our lives? Was the food better for us? More nutritious? Maybe. Maybe it was a lot of different things. There was more warmth, more happiness. 

What can we do? Start planning our next trip, and you should, too.