New York Times? Maybe Next Time.

I never thought I’d be in the New York Times.  And turns out, I was right.  

But can I please just say that we ALMOST were?!  And maybe possibly with just the slightest twist of chance and fate, still could be?!  Let me explain.

They are doing a story on the new Spanish Digital Nomad Visa - the very one we’re applying for now - and, as part of that, a reporter apparently interviewed the law firm that’s representing us in our visa process.  Last week that firm reached out to me and Juan to ask if we’d be willing to speak to the good ‘ole NYT to explain our experiences so far ‘on the ground’ in Spain as some of the first applicants for this new type of visa.  They believed we ‘fit the profile’ of the type of folks for whom the visa was intended (which we will take as a compliment that we must, at least, appear sufficiently sane and functional on the surface - some days we wonder…) and that the NYT was seeking that perspective.  Needless to say we replied with a resounding YES, bubbling over with excitement but trying to play it cool.  (*Me!?  The Times maybe sort of kind of hypothetically wants to talk to ‘lil ‘ole ME!?  Well suuure, why noooot (casual wave of the hand accompanied by laugh that accidentally turns manic and hysterical).*)  

And so we waited.  And waited.  (A bit more.)  Until later the next day we got an email from the lawyer connecting us to the NYT reporter - GASP! - but confirming there had been some sort of email mixup in sharing our contact information with her such that, apparently, our fateful connection was running behind schedule.  But no matter, WE WERE HERE NOW!  We eagerly replied.  

(Perhaps you can see where this is headed.  We didn’t.) 

Our NYT reporter replied right away that, she was so sorry, but her deadline had passed and she’d already turned in her story.  She’d ask her editor if there was room for another interview, though, and let us know.  (Toodles.)  

Our hopes were dashed.  It was nighttime and between changing a squirming Luca’s diaper in a hotel room where we’d just arrived somewhere in southern Spain (the fact that the name of the town escapes me has nothing to do with the town and everything to do with the fact that we were EXHAUSTED and several days into a road trip from Valencia back to Malaga which we (we thought cleverly) decided to break up since Luca hates the car but in reality just meant 3 hotels in 3 nights and one massive road closure sending us driving 3 hours out of our way that day) I thought I would write a clever (read: desperate) reply.  So I fired off something about how we thought we’d be a really great addition with a family perspective blah blah blah and then spent way too many words also sharing with her my podcast and the fact that we’d shared some of our perspective/experiences so far in episodes 8 and 13… (I think you get the gist.) Not my worst, but far from my most cogent attempt at saying OH PLEAAAASE PICK ME PICK ME tell your editor we’re worthy and PICK ME!  As soon as I hit ‘send’ Juan was like, did you want me to proofread?  Well yes, sir, perhaps that would have been a good idea if I had had it at the time.  

Anyways, that was over a week ago and we haven’t heard back.  We reached out once more with some quotes we said she could ‘feel free to use’ but, I think our pride (and local stalker laws) may prohibit further contact.  I guess you can’t win ‘em all.  And it’s funny, Juan and I were reflecting a day or so after our *near claim to fame*, how we can so acutely feel the loss of something that, moments before, we didn’t even know existed or was an option.  A million things in our lives never come to pass, and we only mourn one when, even if for a fleeting second, we somehow come to expect or feel we *had that chance* at it.  This doesn’t mean you shouldn’t dream or leap big because it’ll only hurt more when you don’t succeed slash fall on your face.  (Ok fine that’s one option.  But if you’re looking for that particular perspective you’re taking to the wrong person; I run a podcast called Life Leaps, for heaven’s sake.)  But it is, I think, just a little reminder of how much our expectations - and what we believe we’re ‘entitled’ to, honestly - affect our perceptions of how well or how poorly things are going in our lives.  Also, that humans are clingy little creatures.  And sometimes we need to just let it go.  

(That having been said:  Alyson Krueger of the NYT, if you’re ever casually perusing my blog in your spare time, IT’S NEVER TOO LATE AND WE’RE ALL YOURS.)   

Love,
Karen

*

PPS - why were we so excited about talking to the Times about this experience? The reality is - aside from the fact that it’s always exciting (and let’s be honest, affirming) to have someone who is interesting and important interested in you - I genuinely do believe there is a story here. Maybe I’ll write it myself. But the number of post-pandemic parents with young children that we’ve met on the road so far is extraordinary. I think people are all a little burnt out (duh), but ESPECIALLY parents with young kids who’ve survived the last few years (double duh), and many of us are seeking greener - and maybe safer, more affordable - pastures. (Now for the ‘ooooh’ part.). Combine that with the increased opportunities for remote work and countries like Portugal, Spain, Italy - and many others, it seems - that are coming up with these digital nomad visas that help us make that, and I think we may just be onto something. Or part of something. Or something. (More to come.).