The Life of a Digital Nomad: From a Mexican Beach to a Canadian Island
- Jess Nadeau
- Feb 8, 2024
- 3 min read
Last month was about rebalancing my lifestyle. 2023 has been a year of constant movement. And although I am happy, and proud, of all I did, all I saw and experienced, I needed a break. I've felt mentally exhausted, and to be honest, a little lost.
I woke up on Jan 1 2024 in Sayulita, Mexico. A bit tired after not going to bed until 3.30am but overall feeling pretty good considering the tequila and piña coladas...
Jan 3, my 4 friends and I all made the flight to Vancouver. Just in time for a quick stop in the city and a drive to Squamish to pack the Jeep again. My next chapter would be about 3 months long. And thanks to my past self (December 2023 Jess), everything I would need and want was nicely packed and organized, ready to grab from my storage unit.
I drove back towards the city on Jan 4 but stopped at the ferry terminal for the short ride to Bowen Island. I was meeting the home owners, pet parents to Marvin, who were entrusting me with my next housesitting contract: 3 months in their beautiful home atop a hill on Bowen, while they leisurely roadtrip around the USA.
At first, I wasn't super enthused about such a long housesit. But back in December, something inside me had pushed me to apply. And the closer I got to Jan 4, the more excited I became. It felt so right. And now, a month in, I just don't want it to end.
Marvin, the cat, king of the castle, is an awesome buddy for this winter getaway. I have an awesome kitchen to cook and create habits that are just impossible when constantly on the move. I can freeze extra meal portions! I can make almond milk! I can experiment making almond crackers, beetroot hummus, pecan butter... I feel inspired and motivated. I feel extra healthy (even though I might be eating too much now!).
I've also had the chance to catch up with local friends. Bonus was having a good friend doing her own housesit on the island, a 10 minute drive away, for most of January. I've started running again as I feel motivated by a routine track (which is just a 4km trail around a lake for now), so that I can easily track my progress. In short, my physical, mental and emotional beings have been finding a much needed balance and fulfillment.
And lastly, I've had the time and space to finally slow down properly and assess my 2023. Last year has been a series of failures for me. Surprise! I am fully aware that my life didn't appear as such. But my mind felt the need to list out everything that "went wrong", eventually allowing me to extract the lessons I had learned (and still am learning) from that.
I spent time on an Etsy shop which generated absolutely $0 profit (my passive income dream!). I launched an impact planner which I'm really proud of but still hasn't generated profit. The 2 clients I had saw their business kinda go sideways and I had to terminate both contracts within a few months of one another (one of which has been unable to pay me more than a tiny fraction of my work...). I've had countless ideas that didn't amount to anything. I've sent countless emails and applications that didn't even provide as much as a simple reply. And that's just the professional side of my 2023.
But the goal isn't to dwell over it. It's to move on. And allow the new year, and my new chapter in a dreamy house, to make space for what comes next for me. I already see progress... 💜
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