When people hear the word “freedom,” they often think about politics. They think about constitutions, elections, rights, governments, and political systems. Those things certainly matter, but after living in Mexico for several years, I’ve come to realize that some of the most important freedoms have very little to do with politics at all.
- They’re personal.
- They’re emotional.
- They’re the freedoms that determine how you experience your everyday life.
Ironically, I didn’t move to Mexico in search of freedom. I moved here searching for peace. I was looking for a slower pace, a better quality of life, and a chance to escape the constant stress that had become part of my daily routine. What I discovered was something much bigger. Mexico taught me what personal freedom feels like.
One of the first things I noticed after moving here was the pace of life. People still work hard. Businesses still operate. Ambition still exists. Life continues moving forward. But there seems to be less obsession with speed and less pressure to optimize every waking minute. Not every moment has to be productive. Not every hour has to be monetized.
In many towns and cities throughout Mexico, it is perfectly normal to sit in a plaza for an hour doing absolutely nothing. People gather, talk, watch the world go by, and enjoy the simple act of being present. When I first arrived, that felt unusual. I had been conditioned to believe that every minute should be spent accomplishing something. Over time, however, I began to appreciate the beauty of slowing down. Mexico reminded me that life is something to be lived, not merely managed.
Another lesson came from observing how people relate to one another. In many societies, there is a constant and often exhausting tendency to rank people according to status. What do you do for a living? How much money do you make? What neighborhood do you live in? What kind of car do you drive?
Of course, these things exist everywhere, including Mexico. But I found that many of my interactions here felt different. People seemed more interested in who I was than what I was. Conversations often began with curiosity rather than judgment. Friendship appeared more important than credentials. Community seemed more important than competition. That doesn’t mean status is irrelevant, but it doesn’t dominate every interaction. There is something incredibly liberating about being valued as a person instead of a résumé.
Mexico also taught me the value of presence. Modern life often feels like a never-ending stream of notifications, breaking news alerts, political outrage, social media arguments, and constant noise. It’s easy to spend your entire day reacting to events occurring thousands of miles away while missing the life unfolding directly in front of you.
Here, I began to appreciate the importance of small moments. A long lunch with friends. A conversation with neighbors. An evening walk through town. Music drifted across the plaza on a warm evening. A cup of coffee that isn’t rushed. These moments are not distractions from life. They are life. Somewhere along the way, I had forgotten that.
Perhaps the biggest surprise was discovering how much fear had become normalized in my own thinking. Fear of being behind. Fear of missing out. Fear of saying the wrong thing. Fear of economic uncertainty. Fear of the future. Many of us carry these burdens for so long that we stop noticing them. They become part of the background noise of everyday existence.
Then one day, almost without realizing it, the weight begins to lift. You don’t necessarily notice it happening at first. But eventually you realize that you’re sleeping better, smiling more, and worrying less. Mexico didn’t eliminate every concern in my life. No country could do that. What it did do was help me stop organizing my entire existence around fear.
The Song That Came From These Lessons
As I reflected on my life in Mexico, I realized that what I had found here wasn’t simply a different country. It was a different way of living; a slower pace, a greater sense of presence, less urgency, more connection and more gratitude.
Most importantly, I discovered that freedom isn’t always about politics or geography. Sometimes it’s about finding the place where you can finally exhale and be yourself. Those thoughts eventually became a song.
“From Mexico With Love” is my musical love letter to Mexico, to expat life, and to the unexpected gift of finding a home far from where you were born. It’s also a reflection on loss, belonging, gratitude, and the realization that you can still love your homeland while building a new life somewhere else.
If you’ve ever left home, started over, or found yourself caught between two worlds, I think you’ll understand exactly what this song is about.
LYRICS
From Mexico With Love
I sing ojalá
I loved the empire like a schoolboy
Defending every foolish lie
I wore its colors in the summer
I watched its flags against the sky
I memorized the grand promises
The speeches and the sacred myths
But every year the smile grew smaller
And every gift without a kiss
The television called it freedom
My landlord called it something else
And every door I tried to open
Required permission from someone else
I gave my heart away
They sent it back unpaid
From Mexico With Love
From sunlight spilling off the hills
From people who still have the courage
To sit together and stand still
From Mexico With Love
Where nobody asked me what I was
Before they offered me a chair
And made a stranger feel at home
From Mexico With Love
La La La La
I sing ojalá
The land I loved became exhausted
Arguing with itself all day
Everyone searching for an enemy
Nobody looking the other way
They sold anxiety by the truckload
They sold outrage by the pound
And every conversation ended
With somebody shouting somebody down
I kept waiting for tomorrow
The one they promised long ago
Instead I got another invoice
For dreams I could no longer afford
I gave my faith away
They spent it in my name
From Mexico With Love
From music drifting through the dark
From neighbours who still wave hello
As though it isn’t something hard
From Mexico With Love
I found more kindness than I
Was ever told a place like this could hold
From Mexico with love
La La La La
I sing ojalá
Now and then I miss the old days
Football games and autumn rain
The songs the diners the highways
Certain faces still remain
And if I’m honest
That is why it hurt so much
You cannot break a heart
That never loved
From Mexico With Love
To the country that I used to trust
I hope you find what you’ve been looking for
I really do
But I have found a different road
Beneath a brighter gentler sun
A place that never promised paradise
Only a chance to live
And somehow
That was enough
La La La La
From Mexico With Love
La La La La
From Mexico With Love
With love I sing ojalá
The first thing Mexico ever gave me
Wasn’t freedom
It was welcome
And that changed everything
——————————
Written and Performed by Johnny Punish
Produced by Punish Studios
Final Thoughts
If someone had asked me ten years ago what freedom meant, I probably would have given a political answer.
Today, my answer is different.
Freedom is waking up without constant anxiety. Freedom is having time for people you care about. Freedom is feeling welcome. Freedom is feeling present. Freedom is belonging. Those are the lessons Mexico taught me. And somehow, that was enough. What has living abroad taught you about freedom?
Share your story in the comments below.
