Christmas time is for kids, since I do not have any minions, it is not my favorite holiday.
We all have regrets, but again, we all have to play the cards we dealt ourselves!
It’s not meant as pity, pride, or judgment—just a sincere look at my life, told with a level of honesty most people rarely allow.
Thinking about having a family—and then creating a fake one on ChatGPT—hits a special kind of loneliness during the holidays, with just enough imaginary alimony and child support to keep it extremely real.
That’s part of why, most days, I am grateful for my life, as this is how it was supposed to work out.
Not because family is bad or wrong—but because forcing a life that didn’t fit would cost me more than it gave back. Freedom mattered more to me than appearances. Movement mattered more than checking boxes that society forces you to check whether you want them or not.
I didn’t have a good father, and the fear of becoming anything like him was always front and center. He bailed on my mom and me in the worst possible way, and that kind of exit leaves a mark whether you want it to or not.
For a long time, that experience quietly shaped my decisions.
That awareness didn’t fix everything, but it ultimately changed my thought process. And sometimes, that’s enough to start choosing differently—on purpose.
Chasing a different dream became my outlet, my structure, and, honestly, my mission. I have lived life in many different cities, having a lot of conversations and many life experiences with people who saw life differently. It became pretty obvious that the way most people lived life was not the only option.
It was not the same generational life, over and over.
Go to College
Get married
Buy a house and have kids
Work until you’re 67+
Enjoy maybe five to ten years of retirement while your body starts to fail you.
I didn’t opt out of life—I opted into my version of it.
Less scripted.
Less predictable.
More honest with who I am
I’m learning to be good with that, and people who judge my alternative lifestyle should, too.
The Grinch that hated winter in Canada!
The cold.
The snow.
The shoveling.
Driving on a skating rink.
The heating bills should feel normal.
Extreme taxes at every angle.
(carbon taxes?!) 
The lies people told themselves, “It was normal not to feel your face going outside.
While Family and friends in Canada scraped windshields, living a great Family life!
The Grinch did the math.
Sunshine was cheaper elsewhere.
A lot of money could also be made elsewhere.
So, while others layered sweaters, he booked a one-way ticket south.
He turned in his snow boots for flip-flops.
He drank iced coffee in December.
They said he “You missed the reason for the season,” and called him a sellout!
The Grinch said, “I optimized my life,” in my own way!
He didn’t steal Christmas.
He *Geoarbitraged it!
*Geoarbitrage is the practice of living in a location with a lower cost of living while maintaining the same income, allowing individuals to save and invest more effectively. This concept is often associated with the FIRE (Financial Independence, Retire Early) movement, where individuals leverage geographic differences to maximize their financial resources.
Click to read more on my Geoarbitrage goals