How Your Life Dramatically Changes After Leaving The United States.
Location, location, location! It’s a phrase we hear a lot of when talking about real estate. Where that business lies can pretty much dictate its success or failure of it. I see our lives as citizens of the United States similar to a business, where we plant ourselves can literally change our overall lives by either improving them or making them worse!
When I chose to do something so bold that many of my family and friends couldn’t fathom, it brought a sense of purpose to my life. Leaving the States is becoming a common topic as we all look around and realize that the United States appears to be headed towards becoming a nation we will not recognize in another decade (if not sooner!).
And as a black man, it’s even more uncommon amongst my fellow African-Americans. The resistance from those I love was at a minimum, for many of them, they understood WHY, for they too have bared the weight of just living in America as a black person to be too much at times, so escaping the madness seemed to make sense.
Even after years and years of trying to get a seat at the table instead of being fed the scraps is an ongoing battle for people like me! And for some of us, well we’ve come to the conclusion that this level of justice we seek and being treated as human beings may never be seen with our own eyes during this lifetime. So, why not live someplace that’s going to treat me better, look at me as just another individual in this world who wants the tranquility and happiness many of us seek as humans?
For any African-American, this is a struggle within itself. Conviction sneaks into our minds as we start to question as to rather or not we’re turning our backs on the blood, sweat, and tears of our forefathers who have sacrificed so much for our rights.
But what if we take a different approach when dealing with that very same conviction? Doesn’t those same rights they suffered and died for on my behalf include the right to live life to the fullest, even it means living it freely in a more peaceful country? I’d quickly agree with the latter.
Every fear that crept inside my mind was now being smashed with confirmation through the answers I sought! Can I really do this? How will I support myself? Will they accept me in this new country? Can I do without so many things I’m used to here in America, blah, blah, blah? As I started to chew 1 bite at a time on this elephant it began to become clearer to me that this move is actually possible!
And now I know for sure that this move was easily one of the best decisions I’ve ever made in my entire life!
One of the first things I noticed once I got acclimated to my new surroundings was the lack of intense pressure of always being alert to my surroundings! We all know just how aware we must be when we’re out and about, just living in our lives in America is. It’s exhausting when you know that anything can start going south in a hurry, regardless of where you’re at. Can you imagine walking into a Walmart to shop for items, without your radar on high alert for a disgruntled customer or a deranged shooter?
For me as a black man, being able to walk the streets of Panama City, and noticing their police personnel driving around as if I don’t exist left me with words that can’t even describe the feeling! This was another major aspect of my life that solidified my decision to relocate. I am NOT a threat down here based on the color of my skin, I’m someone that’s simply being judged by the content of my heart (Hmmm… isn’t there a speech out there about that?). Unfortunately, I had to leave America in order to see Dr. King’s words ring true!
We all want to extend our time here on earth before moving to “higher” ground, and understanding what we put in our bodies is just as critical as how much exercise we get. Eating healthy can literally break the bank for you if you live in America, sounds like an oxymoron when you really think about it. The simple foods are overpriced, while the man-made processed food helps us keep some change in our pockets while forming some sort of cancer in our bodies at the same time! Fresh and simple eating keeps me healthy here while also lining my pockets with change. I’m able to get more food for my money down here and you can’t argue with the fresh seafood directly from the Pacific ocean! And because I feel “safe” here, I am able to venture off and experience more places that serve food out of my comfort zone!
We take something like sleeping for granted when we think about our overall health. I don’t know too many people who live in America that get their fair share of solid sleep. The doctors remind us of the importance of having a good night’s rest, we feel the difference when we actually experience it, and yet we sabotage our efforts by jumping back into the grind and pursuing some dream that America sold us (we forgot to read the fine print!). Well, after about 10 days of getting adjusted to my new surroundings, I notice my sleep pattern changed. The first thing I noticed was I wasn’t reaching for the usual sleeping pills at night because the weight of America and its issues were not suffocating my thoughts anymore! Give me 2–4 mins tops and now I’m out like a light! The next thing I noticed was the fact that I was sleeping throughout the whole night without waking up! What a difference that made in my overall energy throughout the day.
So once you step back and take inventory of just how much your life has improved mentally, emotionally, and physically, you start kicking yourself wondering why you didn’t make this move sooner!
There are a lot of Americans that are just not cut out to make a move like this. Some people refer to this as taking either the Blue pill or Red pill, a famous quote from the movie called Matrix. But what many people don’t realize is that both pills suck!
What I’ve found out about relocating out of the U.S. is that our options are never limited to the choices laid in front of us. We are free to find our own path… and that’s all that I’ve done, found my own way in life!
