Your history does not represent your potential. ~Deb Ingino

Mountains, deserts, and awesome views have always appealed to me. Yet the idea of living in a New Mexican mountain valley occurred to me for the first time only five years ago.

Now we’re here.

I was on the lookout for this sign from the moment we crossed over the border from Colorado. Never mind the graffiti, what a beautiful sight!

True, my wave looks a little weak, but we had been driving across this WIDE country visiting family and sightseeing for more than 30 days so ~ por favor ~ cut me some slack.

The wrists are tired, but the heart is dancing.

New Mexico is home now, even though I’ve never lived in New Mexico before nor have I known anyone who has.

Guideline 3 for Geographic Freedom is: 

NEVER LET YOUR PAST LIMIT YOUR FUTURE

You never want to make decision solely on what you’ve experienced in the past.

If we had done that, I would never have been able to take a picture like this in my own yard.

Okay, it’s a rented yard of a rented house. But those are the Organ Mountains in the background, beautiful and untouched. So good things began happening for us in this new (to me) place from the start.

Yet I recall that a favorite follow-up question from people “surprised” at our choice of destination was

“Are you from there?”

As if we could only opt to live in New Mexico now if we had lived in New Mexico before.

As if each of us has been assigned to one single place on earth where we were expected to stay for the rest of our lives, surrounded by an invisible barrier that we’re not meant to cross.

Like a shopping cart programmed for its wheels to lock if someone tries to take it out of the parking lot.

Pssst! You with the camera, help me out here – just one GOOD push. . . . . .!

RUN ~ don’t walk ~ from the parking lot.

Where would you be off to if you got one. good. PUSH?  

Want more on geographic freedom?

This post is Part III of a series:5 Guidelines for Geographic Freedom. CLICK for Part I and Part II.