My Grandma Would Be Horrified

Watching how I live in San Miguel de Allende, my grandmother Gaga is turning over in her grave.

I was raised in Dallas, Texas, and from age thirteen, there were beauty standards. You didn’t leave the house without makeup, hair done, matching jewelry, a proper outfit, heels, purse, perfume, nails done. Looking put together was not optional. It was a moral obligation.

Gaga, forgive me.

This is the first time in over forty years I’m all natural with no makeup and no nail polish.

Not because I’ve given up (or become a hippie).

Because for me none of that feels like it matters any more.

I still look in the mirror.

I just no longer ask, What image am I projecting?

Now I ask, Do I look rested? Happy? Peaceful?

Powerfully Present

One of the biggest challenges in my old life was that I was always living in the future. 

I was always somewhere else in my head.
At the next meeting.
The next errand.
The next deadline.

I was never present. And I wasn’t much fun.

In San Miguel I’ve changed organically, without consciously deciding to become more calm and joyful.

I no longer wear a watch. I laugh more.

When my Spanish teacher here taught me the word “prisa”, which means hurry, I laughed and said, “I’m never using that word in Mexico.”

But what I’ve learned it’s not just culturally rude.

It’s unhealthy.

Being in a hurry to get somewhere else means you’re never where you are. 

Living here allows me to live and enjoy every moment.

Community Meals Ground Me

The proverb says "He who eats alone, dies alone". 

I will not die alone. 

Besides dining regularly with my partner Jorge, I now have communal dining every Friday night and Saturday morning.

Friday nights, if I’m not hosting Shabbat dinner at my house or a friends, I go to the Chabad synagogue. Twenty to forty people around a big table, family style food, stories, debate, laughter, locals, travelers, random drop ins. Every week I see good friends, bring new ones, and leave with more.

There is something sacred about Sabbath dinner that makes me exhale.

Then Saturday mornings are Mercado Sano, San Miguel’s intimate organic and artists market.

This place is my happy place.

Live music, fresh tortillas, organic farmers, jewelry, woven bags, little dogs under tables, people speaking Spanish, English, French, Hebrew, Italian. Shared picnic tables where if you sit down next to someone, you are expected to become temporary neighbors.

I can spend hours doing nothing productive.

Which now feels deeply productive.

Trying New Things I would’ve Never Done

I’ve always been curious about Tai Chi, but in San Diego I would've labeled it too Zen, too woo woo, not my thing.

Then Jorge introduced me to Lydia Wong, who’s taught Tai Chi for forty years.

She invited me to a class and before I could make an excuse, I heard myself say yes.

Now I go three mornings a week.

Fans. Wooden sticks. Slow movement. Breathing. People in their thirties through eighties moving together in total harmony.

It’s a dance of peace. I’m loving it. 

I also started swimming laps.

This is crazy because I lived in a luxury condo in downtown San Diego with a giant lap pool - yet I was always too busy to swim.

Now I walk 10 minutes to Hotel Real de Minas, pay for a day pass (which includes food and drink), swim, order lunch, and relax in nature.

In San Miguel I say yes to what my body and soul need.

You’re Not Who You Trained Yourself to Be

As I’m still figuring out who I am in San Miguel, I keep meeting people who used to be someone else.

An architect who became a singer.

A corporate executive who became a painter.

A widow who became an equine therapy facilitator. 

People come here carrying an old identity and allow another version to emerge. 

The theme of reinvention runs through San Miguel.

Not retirement.

Not tourism.

Not cheap living.

Permission.

Permission to wear less armor.

Permission to create.

Permission to rest.

Permission to be someone new.

Permission to become more available to friendship, romance, service, and serendipity.

Making Time to Give Love

Acts of kindness have always been my thing. 

But in the States, visiting people felt like a production. Scheduling. Driving. Traffic. Fitting it in.

Here, I go to people’s homes.

I bring a meal. 

I sit in their gardens. 

I listen to their stories.

There is a Jewish mitzvah (act of kindness) called Bikur Cholim. It literally means visiting the sick, but it also means showing up for anyone (lonely or sad) who needs love.

This past Friday the Chabad Rabbi’s wife baked extra challah bread and offered them to anyone who wanted some.

I texted a bunch of people, can I bring you homemade challah for Shabbat? They said yes.

So Friday midday I hired a driver (which cost $15 an hour) and went house to house. I stayed for ten or fifteen minutes with each person and left with a big hug.

Also twice this week I brought meals to sick friends and stayed to cheer them up. 

This logistically would have felt monumental in the states, but here, acts of love are easy and what makes life so rich. 

The Small Town Advantage

Last night Jorge and I were walking ten minutes to dinner and it took thirty because we kept stopping.

Being stopped on the street by friends.

Live Music on a rooftop.

Running into more folks we knew.

They introduced us to their friends.

By the time we finally got to the food hall, we collected four extra people and spent the night dancing to an 80s DJ with a bunch of people I didn’t know an hour earlier.

That’s so San Miguel.

Living in this town, it’s hard to be lonely.

My Rooftop Conversations at Casa Avra

And here’s where the real magic and transformation happens: on my rooftop. 

Guests come to Casa Avra thinking they booked a charming casita.

What they don’t know is that by night two we are often upstairs with tea or wine, looking out at the colonial churches and colorful mountains immersed in a deep conversation asking if the life they have is the one they want to still keep living.  

It feels like the Talking Heads song, Once in a Lifetime when it asks, “How did I get here?” 

Looking out at the magical view my guests wonder, Could my next life chapter actually be richer than the one I have now?

After a few days people know this is not just a beautiful town to visit.

For many of us, it becomes the place where who we were starts to matter less than who we might still become.

Once you consider that question, you go home different than you arrived, open to the possibility of true transformation.

More on that soon.

Here’s a review from my most recent guests who stayed a week: 

Staying in Audrey’s casita Casa Avra in the San Antonio neighborhood of San Miguel de Allende was an absolute delight. The area itself is charming and wonderfully walkable, with small restaurants, cafés, and everyday discoveries tucked into every corner. We loved wandering the streets and photographing the beautiful neighborhood,  the colors, textures, and little details made every stroll feel exciting and special.

The casita itself was a romantic little haven. Comfortable, quiet, and full of charm, it gave us the perfect home base to explore from. Enjoying morning coffee in the cool, lush courtyard quickly became our favorite ritual, second only to margaritas on the scenic rooftop by night.

Audrey was a wonderful host, warm, helpful, and genuinely invested in making our stay special. The whole trip managed to be both deeply relaxing and perfectly energizing, and we left already dreaming of returning.

Warm regards, Kristin and Brian, Boston, U.S.

Are You Coming for a Visit?

If San Miguel has been whispering to you, come.

Casa Avra is my private downstairs casita in the heart of San Miguel, a one bedroom with loft, full kitchen, fireplaces, and shared access to my stunning rooftop overlooking the mountains and historic church spires. 

Guests love that they have complete privacy but also my insider guidance to the city, from restaurants and music to artists, markets, day trips, advice on relocation and all the little hidden gems of living a magical life.

Current Casa Avra openings:

May 14 to May 31

July 13 to July 31

September 1 to September 15

Starting October 1, open for fall stays and Día de los Muertos season. 

If you’re looking for a longer stay, I have access to an amazing architecturally modern affordable studio in town that I’m happy to share.

Just reply to this email or message me directly at Audrey@CasaAvra.com if you'd like details.