Homeless, Part II

Phantom left me a cautiously congratulatory comment in my last post about being homeless.

In case I didn't make myself clear, I'm very glad that we sold the house. When I think about the nightmares associated with moving house, selling the old homestead is up near the top. Being forced to continue to own and maintain a property where you no longer live is at the top of my list of Things I do not Wish To Do. Bridge loans, all that stuff - I don't want to play that game. In the scenario we've worked out, we will have the capital required to buy our next home in plenty of time to take care of that. We'll have plenty of time to look. At the end of the day, one of the more difficult elements to moving has already resolved itself.

So why am I still trying to sell myself on this being a good idea? It's simple really. I *love* my house and my neighborhood. I know, beyond any doubt, that I cannot possibly expect to have nearly so nice of a place anytime in the near future. My house is 3,000 squre feet with a giant den and playing area. It has a fabulous porch with a nice pool. It sits on 2/3 acre with lots of trees and green space all around. It's wonderful. My neighbors are very nice people - very private just like us, but nice nonetheless. They all live in our neighborhood because of the quiet and privacy it affords them.

On top of that, Mr. Mac and I got an asbolute STEAL on this house when we bought it, but it needed a lot of work, most of which we did ourselves. So the home has a little bit of us both in it. In the case of the new mailbox we constructed, it LITERALLY has a little bit of my fingertips in it.

So, it's hard to leave, even though it's what I want to do. The theme of 2005 was loss, and the theme of 2006 seems to be opportunity. Rob has a great opportunity in front of him with his school. I seem to have a good one taking form for me professionally with my company.

But, there is a certain "bittersweet" quality about it all. I'm sad to be leaving Tampa in some ways. This morning was our coldest so far this winter - a chilly 30 degrees. Yikes! We had a frost! January through March is a nice time here, but it's not really winter, you know? Come September/October, though, I won't miss the hurricanes or the absence fo fall. I'll miss a lot of things, but sadly, not a lot of people. I still don't have many friends here.

Still, this was my first "home" - the first place I truly owned. For the silly attachment I have to things such as land and home, I am a little sad. At the end of the day, the opportunity is being put before us and we have to take it. There's really no choice. And for that, I'm excited.