If I had to make my decision now, I would stay here. In Colorado.
I just had a conversation with my host family confirming that I can stay here until the end of May and even into June, if necessary. That means just four months here… And it feels like too little in this moment. I’m really enjoying it here, I just feel so well here. And it’s not that I’m feeling well here only now: I also remember how well I felt here last summer (as well as in summer of 2019). I know that I feel well here almost year-round.
I also realize that part of my well-being here is in some ways biased: on one hand, because I’m staying in a lovely house with very nice people; on the other, because I needed a change from California.
So come the spring or next summer, I might be ready to move back to California (or move to some other place)… but at the moment I really cannot see that happening. At the moment I’ve been thinking of ways to make it possible and sustainable and realistically satisfying for me to stay here at least for a couple years…
I’ve been running in the snow. Literally running not only on snow-covered pavement but also on snowy mountain trails in the snowy woods. It’s so beautiful!
I never thought that I’d actually be running in the snow some day! I’ve done several different types of winter sports and enjoyed snowy weather for most of my life, but even up to a few months ago I couldn’t have imagined that I’d be running in the snow one day. And yet I am now, and I’m loving it! Another new experience at the beginning of this new decade (my forties)! And my body (particularly my sensitive respiratory system) seems to be able to take it well. I actually feel healthier here than in California and I think the clean, dry mountain air here is better for me than the coastal damp weather… And I seem to do well with altitude, too.
So, although I’m keeping my mind and options open and I’m not making any decision until April, at the earliest, for now, Colorado wins.
The Little Prince and the Fox 