Dear Robert,
I am considering a move to Santa Fe. I found your column at
, and you seem like the perfect person to ask some questions about whether I should move there. My background is in public relations, and I've worked for several major studios. I have also studied hypnotherapy and Reiki healing. I've always enjoyed visiting Santa Fe and the surrounding area. Now, I feel, deep inside, the need to be there full time. I've got some savings, so I'll be alright for a while, but I am concerned about employment. I will be grateful for any information you offer.
Languishing in LA
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Dear Languishing in LA,
Thanks for your email. The Santa Fe Reporter does have a very nice website, doesn't it? I'm happy to share information about Santa Fe, and New Mexico, in general. I'm not an expert on Santa Fe, or New Mexico, but I am an expert on my experiences here. I'm a big believer in following your inner guidance. In my opinion, the only reason to move to Santa Fe is if, in your heart, your Higher Self tells you to come here. If that is the case, if you're following your own guidance, then I believe you will be part of a flow, and things will unfold perfectly for you. Now, I also have a caveat. When I say things will unfold perfectly, in the flow, that doesn't mean that your experience will necessarily manifest in the way you are now imagining. If your Higher Self is calling you here as part of your unfolding walk with Spirit, then expect to experience what you most need for your spiritual growth and development. It may or may not be fun. I can't guarantee that you won't experience constriction, frustration, or lack. If you're following the guidance of your own inner knowing, however, I guarantee you'll have the time of your life.
Now, I'll give you some insider information, things you won't get from the tourism people or the Chamber of Commerce. New Mexico is a poor state. In fact, the unofficial state motto is, "Thank God for Mississippi." New Mexico is at the bottom of most of the lists, at number 49, and only avoids last place because Mississippi is a bit poorer. The official motto is "The Land of Enchantment." It is, indeed that, and more. There are incomparable mountain and desert vistas. The sunrises and sunsets must be seen in order to be appreciated. But you can't eat beautiful sunsets. The merchants and landlords here will not accept majestic, sweeping vistas as payment. It is said that the best way to live in Santa Fe on a million dollars is to move here with ten million. That cute little Eastside adobe, within walking distance of the plaza, renting for only $2,500 a month, may sound like a bargain according to LA standards, but after a year of working for minimum wage, it can put a drag on your bank balance. Speaking of the Plaza, few people who live here ever walk to the Plaza. Most of us avoid it, but if we do go down there, we park at the PERA building. I once heard a realtor unhappily describe Santa Fe as "Guatemala with cable." But, some of us even like it that way. We're happy with things being different from life in Boston, Atlanta, Portland, or San Francisco (if you don't count Berkeley).
There are people in Santa Fe who have oodles of money. There are folks here with air-conditioned and heated barns, just like Barbra Streisand has in California. Most of those people, though, are not paying big bucks to Reiki healers. There is work for public relations folk, but be prepared for minimum wage compensation. Many people in Santa Fe work for state government, many are psychics, massage therapists, pet communicators, writers, or otherwise creatively underemployed. Many sell illegal drugs, and some are employed by the US Postal Service to lose, delay, or not deliver mail, at all. The rest of the population collects unemployment. You'll find many clients, but few who are willing to pay you. I'll also add that I wouldn't consider being anywhere else. I love living here. I'm here because this is where my Higher Self has brought me, and for no other reason.
If your inner guidance brings you here, welcome. Just in case you wind up in Santa Fe, I'll give you some insider tips. Don't run up and down the streets telling people you just moved here from LA. The only thing worse would be to tell them you just moved here from Texas. Be cool. If you want to blend in with the locals, this is what I suggest: Don't brush your hair too carefully; remember, rumpled polyester is your fashion friend; don't ever be polite; if you're female, don't use make-up; if you're male, a little make-up, tastefully applied, is okay; when you're driving, never, ever use turn signals; your vehicle needs at least six bumper stickers, two of which should be "Kerry-Edwards," along with "Free Tibet" (if you want to pass as a Santa Fe old-timer, you should also have a "Our Kids Need Soccer Fields" bumper sticker); and you should continually complain about how expensive everything is, preferably while you're shopping at Whole Foods. The rest of it, I'll just let you discover for yourself. It's all a part of our third-world charm. So, if you decide to come here, enjoy it for what it is, without trying to make it something else.
One of my hobbies is New Mexican history. I've also spent a lot of time in Chihuahua and Coahuila, and learned a lot about Mexican history, of which I was previously unaware. My friend Robert Sinn, is, amongst other things, a talented amateur historian. He is a long time volunteer at El Museo Cultural, and is presently involved in helping to organize an event there to commemorate the anniversary of the Treaty of Guadalupe-Hidalgo. This is, as every New Mexican should know, the treaty which was forced upon Mexico by the US, ending the war of 1846-48. Before then, Santa Fe was in Mexico. The website of the City of Santa Fe delicately informs us that "In 1846 (sic), it (Santa Fe) was ceded by the Mexican Federation to the US." That sounds sort of like neighbors exchanging banana-nut bread across the backyard fence, doesn't it? That was not quite what happened. Would you like to hear more, from a seldom mentioned perspective? Then you'll want to attend the event at El Museo Cultural, on Thursday, February 2, from 4–6 p.m. El Museo Cultural is on Paseo de Peralta, at the Railyard. For more information, please call 992-0591.
In conclusion, Languishing in LA, I think it is wise of you to ask questions about your proposed move. I'm not the final word, by any means. I always come at things from a spiritual point of view. As the Redneck Hindu, I'm not qualified to discuss things from any other perspective. Good luck.
OM
To ask Robert a question, visit his website at www.RobertOdom.com, email desertrj@msn.com or send mail to PO Box 33, Santa Fe NM 87504.