We Weren’t Unhappy But We Left Anyway
Behind the scenes of a major creative shift
We weren’t burned out. We weren’t lost. But something didn’t feel quite right anymore. On paper, our life in Florida looked solid—steady jobs, a house we’d made our own, routines that worked.
But the longer we stayed, the more we could feel it: we were living a version of life we hadn’t intentionally chosen. The kind that slowly dims your creative spark while you tell yourself you should be grateful.
So this is the story of why we walked away from comfort—and what we found when we finally made space for something new.
Pookie is snoring next to me. Coffee’s brewing in the kitchen. A cool breeze slips through the sliding door, and I hear birds singing outside.
I close my laptop. My workday’s done and it’s only 12 p.m.
This is my new life in Costa Rica.
Four-hour workdays.
Three dog parks in my building.
Mountain ranges in the distance.
And mornings that start with coffee and quiet, not chaos.
I still can’t believe it.
Because just a month and a half ago, I was knee-deep in paperwork, hauling trash bags to the curb, and making a dozen trips to Goodwill.
There was a For Sale sign in the yard.
A goodbye tour of our favorite places.
A vision in our heads and a mountain of logistics in our way.
Three years ago, I took my first trip to Costa Rica. My wife had gone the year before and fell in love with the country. Now it was my turn.
We were only there three days but those three days planted something.
On day one, we drove toward La Fortuna and stopped at a cliffside restaurant with a jaw-dropping view. The kind of landscape that makes you feel small in the best possible way.
The next morning, we toured a coffee and chocolate farm. I can still taste the handmade chocolate—each bite with a different level of sweetness, each one unforgettable.
That afternoon, we soaked in thermal springs with mist curling off the surface. One of those fully alive moments. The kind that shifts something inside you.
On our final day, we left the Arenal area, stopping at a restaurant marked by a giant corn statue (10/10 branding). Then we drove through the rainy streets of Liberia and just… soaked it all in.
And somewhere along that drive, we looked at each other and said the words we’d keep coming back to:
“Wouldn’t it be amazing to live here one day?”
Fast forward to February of this year.
We were sitting at one of our favorite Mexican spots on Valentine’s Day—mariachi band in the background, chips on the table—and we started writing a list. Everything we’d need to do to move.
It was long. Intimidating.
But exciting.
That night, we stopped saying “someday.”
We started saying, “This is happening.”
Just three months later, we were on a plane to San José with a handful of bags and Pookie in his carrier.
We had a lot to love about our life in Florida.
Family and friends close by.
A home we’d made our own.
Jobs that gave us stability.
Familiarity. Comfort.
But daily life had started to feel like an endless loop: long hours, commutes, routines that made us feel stuck, and barely any time to breathe, let alone create.
We were craving something else: space, nature, simplicity.
A life built with intention.
A rhythm that fit us.
We wanted to grow our own food.
Create our own work.
Live surrounded by beauty and maybe even open up our home to others one day.
So we made a vision board.
Images of mountains and gardens. Of creative work and community. Of the kind of life we wanted to build from the ground up.
Was it easy? No. Not even close.
There were delays. Setbacks. Unexpected headaches.
The kind of learning moments that only come from trying to uproot your entire life and move it to a different country.
But it also brought clarity. Support.
A dozen reminders that this was the right path, even when it was the hard one.
In the coming weeks, I’ll be sharing more of that story:
Selling nearly everything we owned
The paperwork nightmares and visa process
Condensing our lives into a few bags and one dog carrier
An unexpected travel delay
And finding our way to this new chapter
It’s been a journey.
And we’re just getting started.
Have you ever made a big change in your life or are you considering one?
I’d love to hear your story in the comments.
Up next: Why We Left a Good Life Behind
Until then, Pura Vida. 🌿
Series in Order:
Currently Reading: We Weren’t Unhappy But We Left Anyway
Why We Left a Good Life Behind
Letting Go (Pt. 1): The Beginning of a Creative Reset
Letting Go (Pt. 2): Clearing Space for What’s Next
Between Worlds (Pt. 1): The Messy Middle of a Creative Reset
Between Worlds (Pt. 2): Saying Goodbye to Our Old Lives
Final Farewell (Pt. 1): Saying Goodbye to Orlando
Final Farewell (Pt. 2): Our Last Days in Florida
Journey to San Jose (Pt. 1): The Not So Calm Before the Storm
Journey to San Jose (Pt. 2): We’ve Finally Made It
Journey to San Jose (Pt. 3): First Day Adventures
Finding Home (Pt. 1): Our First Big Decision
Finding Home (Pt. 2): The Race For Cash
Finding Home (Pt. 3): A New Start
Settling In (Pt. 1): Early Lessons & Adventures
Settling In (Pt. 2): So Many Curveballs
Settling In (Pt. 3): Everyday Moments That Make This Home
Settling In (Pt. 4): The End of the Beginning
Ohhh this has really inspired me to tell more of our uprooting and moving across the country story. AND inspiring me to dream of going bigger next time ;)
Wow. Almost identical to our move story but substitute Florida and Costa Rica for Colorado and Prague.