Starting Over at 35 in Costa Rica

Brett Schroeder’s story about giving up his life in the advertising business to live “minimally” in Costa Rica for the past 10 years is surprisingly tempting, even for me, and I’m a city kinda guy.

To make a new life for himself, he had to improvise, which included starting a business and hustling for odd jobs wherever he could find them. But he managed to make a place for himself in a little town on the beach, becoming a person he might not have imagined he could ever be.

It’s a great story. It made me wonder if there was still a new me in there waiting to be discovered. How about you?

At 35 you might have been a little more adventurous than you are at 55 or even 65, but like Schroeder, you probably have an empty nest with nothing keeping you from trying it.

And who says you’re not adventurous in your midlife or even your senior years?

Not me. I say “Go for it.”

Begin by checking out Schroeder’s story here: Starting Over at 35 in Costa Rica.

It is published in International Living, which specializes in the expatriate lifestyle.

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2 Responses to “Starting Over at 35 in Costa Rica”

  1. Lynne Spreen July 7, 2013 at 3:34 PM #

    It’s an interesting question, Rick, because as you say we may be freer than ever before at this point in our lives, yet a part of me longs for the security of family nearby and a home I can grow old in. The answers are as varied as the humans reading this post. I’ll go check out Schroeder’s story now.

    • Rick Barlow July 8, 2013 at 11:10 AM #

      I know what you mean, Lynne. I have similar feelings. Life is pretty good now. Why fix what isn’t broken, right? But time is short. How do we know what elations await us if we were to shake off the comfort zone and venture into strange territory? That’s what keeps bumping around in my head. Maybe it’s worth a year or two to see if we have any explorer left in us. Sitting here this morning killing time in the Mayo Clinic cafeteria, I think I’d better get after some adventure before I’m the guy someone is killing time for.

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