La Paused

November 20, 2011

A few days ago I wrote the following on my Facebook wall:

I’m pretty sure I’ve figured out why people get “stuck” in La Paz for decades. They come here to get a few small boat projects done. Then they decide to stop into Club Crucero for morning coffee. 10 years later they get their first errand done. Not that I’m complaining, I’ve just never EVER seen a social scene so vibrant… EVER.

To which our friend Diane Selkirk replied, “…we call it ‘La Paused’.” I still crack up a little every time I say that. It’s so true. Here you can find almost anything you want for your boat or your pleasure and it often costs less than it woud in the states; and the weather is warmer. Add to that that it feels somewhat exotic, and you can understand why people get la paused for a decade or two. 

I was really against getting settled here for more than a few days. After some soul searching I realized that the root cause of my anxiety wasn’t so much that we would get stuck here (we’re all about keepin’ on) as it was about spending money. At the core of all of my anxieties since leaving SETI has been a strong, almost all consuming desire to not have to go back to work.

This pecuniary anxiety was seriously exacerbated when I misplaced a significant chunk of the money we had withdrawn (and subsequently stashed away) in Cabo. Thinking that I had spent it, I started to really worry that we would be incapable of transitioning to our new budget. Luckily the money was found and I started using my currency converter app as if it were a game. Little by little I’ve come to understand that we are living comfortably and not spending much money. Still I would prefer to be out in nature, where the hemorrhaging stops completely but, as I have learned again and again, true happiness is achieved through balance.

So we are in La Paz, and like many of our cruising brethren, we don’t really know when we are going to leave. The awesome popsicle stand and the $14 1/2 kilo of arrechera we have every afternoon may have something to do with my equivocation, or perhaps it’s the rumor of $400 bottom jobs. Whatever it is, we’ll have to figure it out manaña.

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