Posted on by Janet Blaser

A Year To The Day

Well, geez.

It’s exactly a year to the day since I last made a post here. I’m going to blame it on the pandemic.

During the last 365 days, my life has been turned every which way. Of course, that’s the case for many people. My particular version included driving back to the U.S. for what I thought would be a couple of months, closing down my home in Mazatlan and selling everything from afar (Muchisimas gracias, Jan and Nancy!), and then trying to assimilate back into the American culture and way of life, an often challenging process that continues to this day. (More about that later.)

Also like everyone else, I’ve had lots of time on my hands and spent some of that promoting my book. Somehow I hit the proverbial jackpot and CNBC published a story about me and the book; it’s been trending in the #2 spot on their website since it went live yesterday. (!) The editors told me it’s “hit a nerve” with their readers, especially as it was published the day after the awful attack on the Capital in Washington D.C.

That was taken in a friend’s backyard in Centro Historico. What you can’t see are the beautiful garden and swimming pool in front of me.

What’s most amazing to me though, are the hundreds of messages and emails I’m receiving from people who saw the story and have been inspired and enthused to follow their own dreams of a simpler, happier lifestyle. My heart is warmed by so many of you who’ve written to congratulate me: for being courageous, for choosing happiness, for escaping the American rat race and showing that there are options.

A friend sent this to me just now; it’s the beach in Olas Altas, Mazatlan. I’ve lived in several places on that hill in the background, and have spent many, many happy hours here. How I miss it!

I’m making my way through all the messages I’ve received, poco a poco, and will eventually get to them all. In the meantime, I encourage you to get my book, Why We Left: An Anthology of American Women Expats, as most of your questions will be answered there. With 27 different writers (myself included) sharing their experiences of how they made the decision, and move, to Mexico, plus anecdotes and advice from their lives thereafter, you’re sure to find valuable, practical information. Plus, it’s a good read, if I do say so myself! (And not just for women or Americans, by the way.)

I’ll see you here again soon (I promise!) and in the meantime, have a great day and hold on to those dreams!

Yes you can!

13 Replies to “A Year To The Day”

  2. Hi Janet,

    First, thank you for writing your Why I Left book! I read it a year ago and was excited and inspired to read about the amazing women, including yourself, who bravely followed your dreams.

    Today I ran across the CNBC article, which is what spurred me to contact you here, both to thank you and inquire about corresponding via email.

    Be well!

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    1. Hi Jamie, thanks for writing! I think you also sent me an email which I answered…I just don’t have time to personally correspond with everyone. But I promise I will update my blog regularly, and I do post several times a week on the book Facebook page, @whyweleftamerica. Maybe see you there?

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  3. We are one of those couples that read your CNBC article this morning and are now very intrigued about getting out of the American rat race and living a more connected life with a slower pace. We have lived in the Pacific NW our whole lives (50 plus years) and have seen Tacoma/Seattle grow into a place we don’t recognize anymore.
    I am curious about your comment of leaving Mexico and traveling back to the US, I hope you can share more about that and what your plans are for the future.

    Thank you for your writings and inspiration.

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    1. Hi Troy, thanks for writing! It has been VERY weird to be here this past year, and not just because of the pandemic, although that has certainly added to it. The CNBC editors and I are considering a second story about exactly this topic; we shall see. Either way, I’ll do at least one blog post about it – maybe next week! Thanks again for writing!

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  4. Glad I found you! Ordered your book on Amazon today and looking forward to reading it! My spouse and I honeymooned in Mazatlan 28 years ago and absolutely loved it. Since then we’ve visited Acapulco & Cabo. We plan to visit Cancun & Tulum this year once travel restrictions lighten up and we’ve had the Covid vaccine. We speak adequate Spanish to get by. Curious as to why you settled on Mazatlan vs any other city in Mexico? Cheers & enjoy retired life! We’ll be there in 10-15 years.

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    1. Hi and thanks for writing! Nice that you’ve been able to visit different parts of Mexico! Mazatlan has changed a lot since the last time you were there! So many factors contributed to my choosing Mazatlan which I outline in the book. At the core it just felt like home. Here’s an article I wrote about the “Pearl of the Pacific” that explains some of its allure: https://mexiconewsdaily.com/mexicolife/beaches-architecture-affordability-among-attractions-of-mazatlan/

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  5. Thanks for the beautiful story in these dark times. It is sorely needed. It is our plan to do so also, but with 5 children, it is hard to think outside the box. Wish us luck!

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  6. Is there a degree of irony as you respond to the increasing popularity of your book – from your current base back in the US ?! Curious & intrigued as to what lead to that decision given the motivation/experience/identity associated with the book …how is it, for you, being back in America (now ?!?) and what’s next …..?

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  7. Hi Lucinda, thanks for writing! Irony? No. Most of the readers & buyers of the book have been in the US, as far as I can tell – those already n Mexico are, well, already there, although the book is a fun read anyway. 😉 The CNBC editors and I are tossing around the idea of doing a follow-up story about what it’s been like for me to be back in the US, or the challenges of living in Mexico, or tips for actually moving to Mexico. We shall see! As for me, I am making plans to drive back to Mazatlan in February.

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  8. Hola Janet and Felicidades on the publicity. I’m one of the first people to have read and reviewed your well done book, Why we Left…. Perhaps next a book of essays on, Why We Move Back Home; a not uncommon phenomenon I’ve noticed, and for those of us who remain, a loss we must accept. I’m slowly, very slowly, finishing “The Last Exit On The Road Less Traveled,” a novella about expatriates living in Baja California, Mexico. The first two chapters are on my WordPress blog. Be healthy and safe. Nos vemos, Carol

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    1. Hi Carol! Thanks for writing! Another book?? Not sure that’s what I want to do! Too much work, you know? I think I may have already replied to you and if so excuse me – I’
      ve had so many messages in so many places it;s hard to keep track. Anyway, have a great day! Saludos!

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