Update 5. I got one thing done in May, el CANJE

Big May plans turned into basically finalizing my Mexico residency at INM Mexico City and not much else.

I flew down to Mexico City on May 13, a Monday, and began the process of trading in my visa for the temporary residency card, a process referred to as CANJE or simply exchanging the visa for the migratory document. I wrote about that process here.

I always assumed I would look for a more permanent place to live after I got the immigration stuff out of the way. However, I found I was not ready to do that just yet.

I had planned either to go to another city and explore with the idea of deciding where to settle, or stay in Mexico City and find a more permanent place to live.

But instead, I started to miss Henry and the dogs. A lot. And then Henry got sick and had to take an Uber to the ER at 3 AM in the morning — alone.

After that incident, I started to realize that I don’t want to go to Puerto Vallarta alone for Pride week, something I had thought about, because why would I without Henry?

Other places I’ve considered visiting had their own issues.

Henry was adamant that I skip the Baja because of the recent murders of two Australian surfers and their American friend. Regardless of whether or not the Baja is any more dangerous than any other place in Mexico, he’s the boss. So the Baja was off for the time being.

I thought about half a dozen other places but decided to come back home for the rest of May to check on Henry and also to vote in a runoff election in which a few former colleagues of mine are running.

For this trip, I’m going to consider it a success that I got my temporary residency card.

Routine is a powerful element that structures our lives. It’s one reason, I would imagine, that leisurely vacations without a routine can be so stressful and another reason people often overbook time off with too many activities.

I spent four months in paralysis after I left my job and before I left for Mexico because I couldn’t decide where to go — and probably in the back of my mind what to do. Now I’ve come to realize that leisure in itself as the end goal is going to be problematic. I’m pretty sure most people already had this figured out.

Simply waking up with no demands except obsessive overthinking about where to settle has proved unworkable for me personally. Now in the early part of June, I’m no closer to a plan than I was in May or April or the months since January 19.

Dog dad Henry with his brood