Would I Do It Again?
Would I do it again? I would not duplicate it. I would budget better, prepare differently and trust more carefully. But that still doesn’t answer the question I thought I was asking.
-
-
Hope Is Real. So Is This. What You Don’t See on a Typical Pain Day
A Typical Pain Day: What You Don’t See on Social Media I’d like to think that much of the time, with a few exceptions, when you see me in a video or read something I have posted, you are seeing me during the more functional part of my day. Even that has become a vulnerable,…
-
The Story Had a Different Idea
I came to Colombia intending to tell other people’s stories. Instead, the Pain Demon commandeered the driver’s seat and made Michael and me the story. What began as a late-life reinvention has become a medical crisis, an uncomfortable request for help, and an unexpected lesson in what community can still mean.
-
Running Out of Options
RUNNING AWAY TO COLOMBIA—PT5
A successful procedure briefly gives me back the ability to walk. When the pain returns and our support system begins to change, Michael and I must confront what comes next.
-
Running into Reality
RUNNING AWAY TO COLOMBIA—PT4
I came to Colombia to keep moving. Instead, walking gives way to pain, a bright blue rollator, medical appointments, and limits I can no longer ignore.
-
Building a Nest
RUNNING AWAY FROM COLOMBIA—PT 3
Michael and I arrive in Bucaramanga with four suitcases and a one-month Airbnb, then take a chance on an imperfect apartment with good bones and begin turning it into a home.
-
Everything Had to Justify Itself or Leave
RUNNING AWAY FROM COLOMBIA—PT 2
As strangers carry our belongings away at an estate sale, a lifetime becomes price tags, four suitcases, and the irreversible decision to leave America for Colombia.
-
Where in the world is Jon D Barnett this morning?
RUNNING AWAY FROM COLOMBIA—PT 1
After a spinal procedure lets me walk again, I take stock of an unreliable body, a changing definition of independence, and why Michael and I chose Colombia for the final chapter of our lives.
-
Negotiating Borders
Pain, the Brain, Aging, and Migración Colombia It’s 2 a.m., and I have to pee. That’s just about the simplest, least glamorous human problem imaginable for a 69-year-old man…except that my body has recently added a new rule: you don’t get to do simple things anymore without negotiating for them first. I reach for assistance…
-
Two Passports and a Map
Quick clarification (because this matters): This post is not about leaving Colombia or “moving back to the U.S.” This is a border run — a temporary exit required by visa timing — with a practical stop in Florida. From there, Michael continues on to Kansas City for a few weeks to house-sit and see friends…
