Early retirement.

If this is what retirement feels like, I might be ready.

Not quite, of course, since I still burn to find my great passion and make my great contribution, and I'm looking forward to doing Thai bodywork and maybe teaching a little yoga -- and all that -- but I've got to say, for two people who aren't working, we've been mighty busy.

The ex-pat community here is close-knit, and they keep a full social calendar.  I bought a bunch of art supplies last week, thinking I'd keep myself busy painting while I waited for work to pick up, but I haven't even had time.  Our first beach hammock afternoon was squeezed in between the weekly happy hour, a community safety meeting, a chili cook-off, a real estate open house, lunch with the owners of the house we're going to rent, dinner (and the use of the gym) at a friend's condo, two markets (one of them monthly, one of them weekly), a trip to the mall just outside the city to catch a movie, a small group meditation session, and more that I'm already forgetting as I fill up the schedule for next week.

Brent is only semi-retired, actually, as he had his first full week of work last week.  ("Full week" meaning "eight hours".)  I am working my way out of retirement, as it were, having met so many great people who are excited about Thai bodywork.  Apparently, the two resident massage therapists just moved out of town, so there is a great Amanda-sized hole to be filled here.

And the people, the people.  We have met so many amazingly nice people, all with an awesome story about how they came to live (mostly retired) in Panama.  People like this are what make settling into a new home so fun and rewarding.