Less House, More Home

I was back and forth with the idea of selling my home and moving on. But my daughter was having a hard time with it. She’d be leaving her school, her friends, her home for the unknown so staying was a strong option, that is until it wasn’t.

While originally my ex wanted me to keep the house so our kids did not have to switch schools, things took an interesting turn. I wanted to wait until I found something in the area to avoid anymore changes in their lives, his opinion was different. Instead of being angry, I packed up only the things I loved and put my house up for sale. In 3 days, there was an offer. But I had nowhere to go.

Someone once told me to follow my heart. That cliche is beyond overused but one I had never followed. So I did this time. My heart took me 25 minutes further into the unknown, away from friends, family, work and the only life I only knew until this point. Scary and stressful is an understatement. I love where I am and I loved the possibilities that came with it but I wasn’t ready for it and I was wholly underprepared. Moving here was more of a challenge and inadvertently, I made life a bit harder for myself. Here are a few challenges that I am facing.

I am over budget which sets some goals back two years if my math serves me correctly. More on that later.

It gets lonely. I don’t know anyone so asking a friend to meet me for dinner or a drink means no one wants to come out. And by the time I get home from work, I have no desire to embark on yet another long drive.

I don’t have a backyard since I’m in a town home. So going outside means riding bikes in the front or walking to the nearby parks. Sometimes I miss just opening the back door.

I spend more on gas since most of my work is farther.

It isn’t all bad because each of those cons has a flip side.

I’m over budget. While it sets back a few goals, it has forced me to take a harder look at my spending habits which at first set me back three years, I’m down to only two. I say more time to prepare.

It gets lonely. Which made me realize how much effort I was putting into meeting with people and the effort was never returned even when I lived in my old home. There’s a bit to unpack there since this is nothing new.

I don’t have a backyard. No yard work. The end.

I spend more on gas driving to work. But I moved all my doctors, activities, our whole lives to a ten minute radius. Because I IS smart.

My new place is half the size of my old house. My boys still share a room, my daughter has the master and I have a makeshift bedroom. Yes, I live in a two bedroom but my children each have a place to call their own and well, I’m doing it on my own. Where I once questioned if I made the right choice in following my heart, now I’m feeling better about my decision despite it’s hardships, there are no ghosts in the shadows and a comfort I haven’t felt in a long time. And here amongst the familiarity of newly repurposed old furniture , in a new town filled with much unknown, I’ve been slowly feeling more at ease, mainly because it is all mine…and theirs.