Where Are You From?

Almost daily someone asks "Where are you from?" I find this an awkward question partially because my answers are awkward.

I start by saying, "We were formerly from Scottsdale, Arizona." If they want more and they always do, I have a couple of choices. I can say,  "We sold our home last winter and are now homeless people living out of our car." Now this is true but it is a real conversation stopper so I rarely say this.  My other answer has been that "we are political refugees from the United States." This is a conversation starter. Everyone is sympathetic and has plenty to say on this subject. Which is why I sometimes give answer #1 instead. The last thing I want to do is talk politics. Indeed we left home to avoid talking about it. And anyway, since the election last week I feel a little less alienated.

But the question continues. Where are we from and where do we want to be from? We started our travels in Portugal because we had heard good things about it and thought perhaps we would want to live there for a while. However, we found it a nice place to visit but wouldn't want to live there. And, I still think about where should we live every day.

Do you know any single people who are so fussy about what they want and don't want in a date or mate that they find it hard to connect with someone? I think that we are that way about finding a place to settle down. We are so clear about what we are looking for and what we don't want that no place has it all and no place feels like home. And yet eventually we will need to pick a place. The result of the elections made a small difference. Or did it? I see that evil Joe Ariapo was not only pardoned by Trump but ran for US Senate in the primaries in this last election. Arizona offers a great quality of life but I am not willing to put up with crap like that again.

I often meet seniors who have moved recently and they don’t seem as troubled as I about making a bad decision. Recently I met someone building their retirement dream home on 10 acres in a town with no medical services (a doctor visits once a week) and the nearest hospital is an hour away. Am I obsessing or is he naive?

We are about to take a cruise down to South America. Every single person we meet will ask, "Where are you from?" I have about three more weeks to come up with a suitable and sociable answer.