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life: examined is a compendium of ideas, thoughts, and questions about living a creative, intentional life—written to you from my perch in Portugal.
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Well, hi.
If you've wondered what I've been doing since my last letter, I've been trying to endure the excessively wet and gloomy winter without giving in to despair. And now that the holidays have come and gone and blooms are emerging from their buds, I'm back to share my birthday with you.
Sixty. How did that happen?
If you live long enough, sixty years to be precise, you will reach the age of sixty like I did in February.
I don't usually talk about my age. I’m not ashamed or embarrassed, there’s just a disconnect between the number and how I feel. Some days I feel seventy-five, but most days, forty-five feels about right. I feel lucky to have made it this far, and I’m looking forward to a playful next chapter.
I'm excited to begin this new decade—one filled with love, good friends, and adventure.
Celebrate
My sweetie and I traveled to Spain to commemorate my descent into olderhood.
Flying to Madrid takes about two hours from Lisbon, but intrepid travelers that we are, we took the bus. To be clear, that was the eight-hour bus ride through various rings of hell. The ride was long, claustrophobic, and uncomfortable—and did I mention long?
We want to avoid flying as much as possible, opting for train travel as our preferred mode. But Portugal lacks a robust train network like Spain, France, and other EU countries have, so buses will continue to be part of our slow travel method. But after this trip, we agree that four hours is our limit.
The drive to Madrid is a mere five hours, but like many friends in Setúbal, we’re committed to a car-free life. This may change in the future, but I don't see that happening. So, we take the upsides with the downsides of no-car living.
Madrid and Córdoba
We spent the start of my birthday week wandering for a few days in Madrid, then we took a high-speed train to Córdoba to enjoy the laid-back Andalucian city.
The high-speed AVE network is a part of the Spanish national railway, RENFE. AVE trains can reach 310 km/h (195 mph). Now that's my kind of slow travel!
Instead of writing about the trip, I will stop here and share some photos. Consider each picture to have the value of a thousand words :)
MADRID
CÓRDOBA

FAVORITE PORTUGUESE TO ENGLISH TRANSLATION OF THE WEEK:
I offer you not one, but three favorite translations this week. Lucky you :)
This company’s motto is, umm…
We are a company that part of the idea that life sometimes passes. No matter where the frequency with it cleans under the sofa has been, we know that sometimes it forms a disorder.
Best product description ever:
Plush roll, buttonhole roller rolls for furry 2 fists and 12 rolls of 90 sheets roll film roll roll stripe roll pets brush sticker roll strip pet
I just…oh dear:
100% cotton strap-on sleepwear with chest instep detail and V-neckline.
A big thank you to Lisa, @jentru7, Leil, Elaine, Maria A., Joan, and @debdio for supporting life: examined through Buy Me a Coffee. I appreciate you!
Celebrating Sixty in Spain
Happy Birthday! Great photos from Madrid! We lived there for a year and loved it. So happy you are happy!
i'll join you at 60 in september - so far, so good, i have to say - that looks like a wonderful trip - take care, jorge