Hello, my dear friends,

I hope you’ve enjoyed the last days of summer.

Autumn has arrived in Sweden, and I’m writing this letter from my studio as the landscape transforms into a blissful sea of orange and yellow.

A long time ago, I decided not to share my personal life online unless the experiences I go through could inspire or offer value to others. I often find value in the stories shared by others, and that’s what brings me here today.

For those who don’t know, my wife, Silvia, and I decided to move to Sweden in 2021, leaving everything behind in search of a fresh start.

We took a big gamble, and over the past few years, we’ve worked to rebuild our lives in this new country.

If you’ve followed me for a while, you’ll know our start here wasn’t easy. Just four months after we arrived, and only one month after moving into what would be our home for the next couple of years, Silvia was involved in a car accident. Shortly afterward, she was diagnosed with stage IV lung cancer.

It was terrifying. We had no idea what life had in store for us.

Our situation became difficult almost immediately—both personally and financially.

Since Silvia had only been working here for two months, she wasn’t eligible for sick leave pay (despite being an EU citizen), and while Spain was willing to cover it, Sweden refused to process the paperwork needed to resolve the issue.

Faced with her diagnosis, Silvia continued working for the past two years to prevent us from running out of savings, but eventually, our savings were depleted.

Looking back, nothing about this journey has been easy for us. But this isn’t a complaint.

We’ve found happiness here, and this experience has made us more resilient. It’s helped us learn more about ourselves and gain a deeper understanding of life in Sweden.

But the challenges we’ve faced lead me to the first idea I want to explore: In life, we need to find the path of least resistance.

I always say that a sign you’re on the right path (whether it’s in work, relationships, or anything else) is when things flow naturally, like water running downhill. You’ll encounter obstacles and challenges, but overcoming them should eventually lead you to a path of greater ease and fulfillment.

Our experience here has often been the opposite. It’s not because I didn’t understand this principle, but because we were fixated on the idea that since we had invested so much in Sweden, it had to be a permanent choice.

But here’s an important truth: nothing is permanent.

I know this, and I’m sure you do too, but I recently had to remind myself.

Often, we go through difficult times because we’re chasing a goal that’s only a mental construct we’ve created for ourselves.

It’s true that everything begins in the mind before it becomes reality, but we also need to pay attention to the signs and messages life gives us. As I write this, I’m reminded of a book called The Surrender Experiment.

It’s one of my favorite books on spirituality. The book explores the idea that life is inherently perfect, and if life can make everything work as it does, who are we to try and control or dictate its course? It’s about accepting that life always knows the best path, and surrendering to it.

Isn’t that a beautiful thought?

Unfortunately, we didn’t consider this during our time in Sweden. Even as our money dwindled and my business struggled to take off after repeated attempts, we persisted.

But something has changed.

That something is Silvia.

This summer, she went to visit her mom in Spain.

Before she left, she had been on sick leave due to constant pain in her abdomen. She felt she needed time with her mother to process everything.

During her three weeks in Spain, she nearly fully recovered. She felt much better overall.

The light, the people, the sun—everything helped her feel better.

But when she returned home, her condition worsened. Far worse than before. For the past couple of months, she’s been in that state.

She’s been mostly stuck on the couch, barely able to take short walks. Moving from the couch to bed has been her routine.

It took her some time to find peace in her heart and mind, and to work up the courage to tell me how she really felt about our life here.

She knows how much I love many aspects of living in Sweden—the forests, nature, seeing wild animals daily, the extreme cold winters, the endless summer days with their stunning light—but her healing journey has forced her to focus on what she needs most.

The difficulties we face here—the isolation, financial strain, and the stress of not earning enough to support both of us—are life’s way of telling us that this path is uphill. There are easier paths if we’re willing to listen.

Embracing Change and Uncertainty

It took me a couple of hours of crying to come to terms with the fact that Silvia was right. We can’t continue like this.

At first, all I could think about was that it’s only been nine months since we moved into this new house we’ve been renovating to make cozy—my studio, the forest, our huge backyard where the dogs are so happy, the solitude we longed for, and the few friends we’ve made here. All of this made me suffer for a few hours.

But as I cried, I started to feel liberated, to the point where I’m actually quite excited about what’s to come for us.

Changes like this require a considerable amount of energy. I’m so thankful for our family and friends who always show up to help. Without them, it would be nearly impossible for us to go on.

Thank you all so much for being on the other side.

I’ll reach out to you again soon.

Take care,

Paloma 🕊️

If making these choices has been easier this time around, it’s thanks to the years of practice we’ve had in reading life’s signs, decoding ourselves, recognizing and expressing our emotions openly, and embracing change as it comes.

It’s important to remind yourself that all of this starts with (1) being open to receiving the information in the first place, and (2) being willing to integrate it into your day-to-day life. It gets much easier with time, I promise.

📖 If you’ve read this far, I’d like to remind you of the book I mentioned earlier: The Surrender Experiment by Michael Singer. It’s a great place to start if you’re new to “reading life’s signs and spirituality” and want to dive deeper into these ideas. ✨🤎