This has been a very stressful couple of weeks!

If you happen to have read my previous post, you may recall that I was in Ajijic, Mexico and my so-called friend had packed her bags overnight and left in a cloud of dust!

I was literally in shock for a couple of days! And trying to recover from tick bite fever, I was feeling shaky anyway. What a quandary!

The reality of it didn't really set in right away. I still couldn't believe that she is so irresponsible and unstable. I've known for several years that I shouldn't depend on her to do what she says she is going to do, and have worked around that. But this? Had me totally flummoxed. It's something I would never, ever do - just leave someone alone, basically stranded, with absolutely no warning!

Planning

But now what? Here I was in Mexico, on a limited budget, in a place out of town where I had no legal standing and without a car! So I started to plan and once I got over the shock a bit, began to feel more in control of the situation.

I knew I didn't want to stay there. I had come to the realization earlier in my stay that this was not the place I would want to make my permanent, or even semi-permanent home. There was no point in staying, anyway, as the main reason I had gone there was I was able to share a place and costs with someone, making it economically feasible.

And a big bummer was the pool (another incentive for me) heated by the local hot springs, was too hot to actually swim laps in!

Left Behind

As I looked around the apartment, I realized that my ex-roomie had left about half her stuff behind! All her cosmetics, mounds of clothes and stuff she had bought down there. What the hell was I supposed to do with it all? Then I thought, "I am not responsible for her mess."

I had no idea at the time is she had actually told the landlord or what? I came to find out that she had not told them she was leaving and that they were as blown away as I was. 

The landlord's face when he came to the door and I told him she was gone, was priceless! "She told us she was the happiest she had ever been," he said! But he said they would take care of whatever she had left.

Fortunately I had a return ticket from Guadalajara to Tijuana that I was able to change, (of course, that cost me!) Ryan had said he could pick me up at the border the following Saturday but I was just too anxious to leave. I was pacing the floor; it just felt too much like being stuck in my house in Washington!

What would I do without Betsy?

Betsy and I go way back and I have lost track of how many times we have lived/stayed/cohabited/traveled together and how many adventures we have shared! So I asked her if she could come all the way to the border to pick me up - ASAP! 

And she and Barry did! I was so grateful to see the big white truck cruise up on the USA side of the border to rescue me! We piled my stuff in and went off for a lovely dinner with Georgia in San Diego before heading up to Dana Point.

It was such a relief to just collapse and for a couple of days, I really couldn't even think. 

Considering Options

But now it is time for me to consider my options. I'm in Santa Barbara with Betsy until tomorrow and she will drop me at Ryan's in Studio City tomorrow for the weekend. Then timing is a bit murky but it will shake out.

There is an idea I am working on that I haven't put out there yet, as I have to do some figuring on whether it's feasible. But it gives me something to focus on, which I find, at least for me, is important. I can work through it and then, it it looks like it can work, go for it. If not, I will look at other ideas. 

What's Next?

For me, it's not just "What am I going to do?" but also "Where am I going to go that I can afford to live?" 

So there is a lot of soul searching and idea bashing at the moment but I am fortunate to have several roofs available to shelter under for a while.