For four years I gave my best shot at creating a business that would allow me to live in a small community on top of a mountain which has little economic strength. I came back here because I knew I needed nature, but after living in a wealthy highly educated town for nearly 30 years I realized that full-time living here would require a different client base than the locals.
Like my marriage, I had a vision of what I wanted it to be and thought it would be only to realize it was not a vision based on reality. When I moved here full-time we had just come out of the pandemic. Many from the LA area bought “cabins” and began living here. However, they returned to the valley leaving cabins either for sale, for rent or standing vacant nearly all the time.
In my former life I created a teaching business which was lucrative because where I lived people paid good prices for music lessons, tutoring and extracurricular. When I did a short teaching stint in my local community, I quickly learned that 70% of the population was struggling economically. So the people living here would not have the luxury of travel or paying for services related to self-improvement especially because the population is so small to boot.
As I figure out how to recreate my Cuban retreat business into a local retreat for those who have experienced a major loss like estrangement, I’ve come to realize that networking in person will also be a challenge. No matter where I go, it takes a minimum of one hour to get to the base of the mountain before setting out to Orange County, LA or San Diego and then face traffic for hours in both directions.
I am currently nursing back to health my nine year old Great Dane–truly my best friend. She just had her toe amputated and it’s been rough to see her in pain and defeated every time I put her cone back on. Due to her weight and weight bearing location, the healing is taking longer than expected. The reality is my best friend doesn’t have too much time left and can no longer be my exercise companion. We are both adapting/accepting.
Since I moved here I realized I’ve worked every August, September and October, then Maria and I left for Cuba to prepare for our dream business. I invested my savings, my time and my energy only to have it put on hold due to mosquito born diseases going rampant. Maria decided to return to her former job as manager of her family run cigar shops.
The business, my dog, Maria gone once again, my home restoration on hold, my beloved car (now 12 years old) needing work, it’s a lot. Last night I asked ChatGPT, why do I feel so flat in the midst of all of this? Much to my non-surprise, it’s been confirmed that I have a lot of transition to contend with emotionally and physically.
Yesterday I made the decision to move to Northern California once again and give myself the ability to network with a large population and greater economic prospects. I have three days before Maria comes with a trailer. Three days to accept, plan and embrace another life change.