T -144 Days: Our last house

Our house will become some family’s joy, as it was ours. The open floor plan, the wall of glass looking out onto the deck, the cascading patios downward with hot tub, circular walled fire pit, another patio all surrounded by trees for 360 degree privacy. The huge game room downstairs. A great place for parties, or to enjoy quietly.

But now, for us, times have changed….

Pleasure and pain, less of the first, more of the latter.

Even chores used to be fun… cultivating the roses, trimming the bushes, mowing the grass, raking the leaves. But now, much more of a pain. The pleasure remains the parts of the house we live… bedroom, bathroom, kitchen, great room. The other bedrooms, the huge downstairs… more of a pain. Clearing things out, sorting, moving…  my wife is a trooper, but I know for her… a huge pain.  The deck needs to be redone… more of a pain. The outside, so much work… more of a pain.

In our first house, I planted twenty-six rose bushes. I loved relaxing, taking care of them. This house, I planted only seven, but they have become more of a pain.

We are ready to shrink our inside, a two bedroom apartment will be perfect. We are ready to grow our outside. The beaches, the dunes, the woods, the gardens, the boardwalks. Enjoy the pleasure of it all, without having to own it… without all the pain.