Happy Pana-versary!

Wow! A year ago I boarded a plane from San Luis Obispo, California bound for my new home country of Panama.

I thought I’d share a little bit about what it took for me to purge all the stuff I’d lugged around with me for years and why I chose Panama, specifically.

When friends came over to my house, they never really saw what lurked behind the closet doors and how many boxes were stacked up in my storage shed in a masterful assembly using every square inch of space. The first big purge in my adult life came during my divorce when I’d decided to move from Los Angeles to the Central Coast. That purge was torturous. But the great purge of 2019, while it had it’s challenging moments, was absolutely liberating!

What made the two purges so different? My state of mind. In 2019, I was making exciting changes in my life that I looked forward to. And in order to step into my new life in Panama, I knew I wanted to release the physical burdens from the past. This was quite a different scenario from the purge of 2012 when I didn’t want to let go of the past and was terrified about my future.

Whenever I decide to pare down, I always start with socks. And even then, I’d find the sentimental pair that my aunt gave me with the cute cats on them, or the Christmas socks from another lifetime. But my new life in Panama wasn’t going to require socks, so I only kept 3 pair. Athletic socks, for all the tennis or pickle ball I’d be playing in the 90 degree heat. No, I’ve never played either, but I might. And, because, maybe they don’t sell socks in Panama, so that’s why I kept them. But I did great with getting rid of my clothes. Basically anything that wasn’t cotton, linen or a breathable fiber blend was let go. Come to find out, I’m relocating to a part of Panama that actually requires sweaters and of course, socks. Deciding what to take with me came down to one question, do I love this so much that I’m willing to pay for the shipping to Panama? Turns out I value cash over sentiment.

To do a successful grand purging, I suggest starting several months before an estate sale or big move. That gives ample time to visit with your stuff and the memories and not feel too pressured into sorting through your belongings.

I decided to approach it the Marie Kondo way by putting like things together. It was quite shocking to see that I had more than 10 pairs of scissors and at least as many flower vases. Serving bowls, platters, jewelry making kits, a bottle cutter for when I thought I was going to make candles, yarn I hadn’t knitted with in 7 years and enough sheets, towels and blankets to run a small bed & breakfast.

For the photographs, I took pictures of the pictures and then threw them away. I kept the old photos, black and white shots and those old square images with the white borders from the 1960’s. That was the hardest part - the photos and letters. But my driving force was the destination of where I wanted to go both physically and mentally. I wanted to live a light life. I’m on the downslope of years left. Less years ahead of me than behind me. I want to make them count. Not that I’m going cliff diving or anything risky like that, but in my own way, I’m jumping into the pool of possibility.

Oddly, what I did think was valuable enough to ship to Panama were hair products. Maybe I thought I wouldn’t be able to find certain kinds of shampoo or conditioner? Who knows what I was thinking. I also packed cinnamon and paprika. Though I have discovered, the spice selection at the stores is not as abundant as stores in the US.

The bulkiest things to pack were my mother’s oil paintings. The larger canvases I unstapled from the lightweight wooden frames and rolled them. At the moment, I have no residence of my own so all my belongings are in a climate controlled storage unit.

I was all set to move into a condo I was in contract to purchase but my house in California didn’t sell and I had to back out of the deal. I’m kind of relieved because there’s no reason or rush to buy any real estate here, especially after coronavirus. The market is soft and prices have been sinking lower. Everyone advised me not to buy real estate immediately but I didn’t listen to anyone. Part of the urgency I felt to buy a condo came from having lived in California for 30 years where prices are ridiculous. I plan on renting when I move to the Chiriqui Province as soon as the owner of the house where I’m dog sitting is able to return from the US.

I decided that when I have a million in the bank, I can buy or build a $200,000 dollar house. Of course, my Pinterest board of Panama home ideas probably exceeds that budget. I’ve got a ways to go. If you’d like to help me reach that goal, you can hire me as your coach, purchase one of my books or order through one of the affiliate links I have throughout my articles.

Time on your hands during quarantine?

Why not sign up for a Masterclass? Using my

link gives me a little commission at no extra cost to you!

So, Why Did I Choose Panama, Specifically?

Easy flights to the US.
In the same relative timezone as family and friends
Spanish is hopefully easier to learn than some other languages
Stunning natural beauty, mountains, waterfalls, beaches, flowers, animals
Kind people who are easy going yet also passionate
Many opportunities to establish residency
Uses the US dollar but has a Panamanian Balboa if necessary
Established expat communities
Temperate climate and ocean water is warm enough for me to enjoy
No hurricanes, low earthquake activity, no forest fires
Mangoes fall from trees
Smaller populated country (4 million people)
Relatively safe / less gun violence than in the US / strict gun laws
Large cities if needed for anything not available in the small towns
No military
Lower cost of living from rent, utilities, car insurance to cell phone plan and some food
Women at 55 years-old and men at 60 get jubilado (retiree) discounts on hotels, meals, prescriptions, utilities and more
Slower and more relaxed pace of life

Have any questions? Leave them in the comments below and I’ll be sure to answer them. Thanks for taking the time to read this article.