Beyond the American Dream: Choosing a Life of Presence & Purpose

In August 2021, my family and I—my husband, Steven, and our now 15, almost 16-year-old daughter—packed up our lives in sunny Southern California and moved across the globe to Marbella, Spain without ever having stepped foot in the country. It was a place we had researched and envisioned for retirement, but I hadn’t expected to call it home so soon. And yet, somehow, it was exactly where I was meant to be.

Now, after 3 ½ years of living here, I find myself reflecting on this journey on my birthday—or at least, sort of my birthday, given my leap year birth. Stepping into this new year, I do so with open arms, ready for even more adventure, self-discoveries, and an ever deepening understanding of this whirlwind we call life. If these years have taught me anything, it’s that plans are merely road maps—they set the direction, but they are never the final destination.

The Art of Dreaming & Manifestation

I’ve always been a dreamer—a quintessential Pisces, forever lost in vivid imaginings of what life could be. As a child, my dreams were so detailed, so intricately woven, that reality often struggled to match their grandeur. It was a hard lesson at times, learning to temper my expectations—not to dull them, but to balance them with reality, allowing room for gratitude and acceptance.

There have been countless moments of déjà vu, where I found myself standing in a place I had once imagined or hearing my husband speak words I had dreamed up years before. It’s a strange, beautiful phenomenon—this delicate dance between imagination and reality.

When we left California, I did so with only two suitcases, shedding the material weight of my old life to make room for something new. And yet, my dreams followed me here, landing me on a terrace overlooking rolling green hills and the sea, just as I had envisioned without even realizing it.

Choosing Presence Over Distraction

Despite my deep appreciation for life’s miracles, I haven’t always been as present as I’d like. Like many, the stillness of the COVID era forced me to stop, sit with myself, and confront the sacrifices of constant motion. In that stillness, I found something unexpected—a craving for more of it.
I wanted less noise, more balance. Less rush, more space. A life where I could truly be present without the endless pull of obligations and distractions.

At my core, I am both a dreamer and a doer—a Piscean visionary wrapped in the drive of a type-A overachiever. But in this new chapter, my goal was to be more present with my family, to fully experience each small moment, and to offer my daughter a broader cultural perspective to expand her world lens. Instead of documenting my experiences on social media, I wanted to step back and truly live them—just for me and my little family in our quiet, protected world, free from distractions, judgments, opinions, and the energy of others.

So, we moved halfway across the world—not just for a change of scenery but for a change in pace. I wanted to step away from the nonstop hustle of the American lifestyle—the never-ending “pursuit” of success, productivity, and achievement. Instead, I wanted to rediscover the joy in simply being.

My daily walk of solitude.

A Journey Beyond Destination

After 3 ½ years of calling Spain home, this journey has gone beyond a physical relocation—it has been a spiritual and emotional awakening.

For as long as I can remember, I’ve had what I call “my mind’s narrator”—a deep awareness of my own thoughts, reactions, and inner dialogue. But something has shifted. By being more present, I’ve tapped into a deeper level of consciousness, a space where I can observe my own evolution in real time.
I have always welcomed growth, change, and self-discovery. But now, rather than simply chasing new experiences, I am fully present in the ones unfolding before me. And that, in itself, has been the greatest gift of all.

As I continue writing the next chapters of my life, I invite you to come along on this journey of discovery, both big and small—whether in new places, with new people, or simply within ourselves.

Join me as I navigate the pathway of a broader perspective.