V3. CH10. CHANGE. AGAIN.

The annual fall foliage color explosion has peaked, and has mostly morphed into its pre-winter less colorful background.  The seasonal experience of transitioning from summer to fall is one of the true joys of being a New Englander.  

For us, a fall highlight is a single Maple tree in our front yard that turns a bright, vibrant red, while still being able to hang on to most of its foliage all the way into the first of winter.  The tree is perfectly framed by our front picture window and will likely shed its last leaves to become bright spots of red on the first seasonal snowfall.  

Ironically, with all of the visual joy we are experiencing in our current rental home, there are circumstances which are requiring Sue and I to once again look to re-home ourselves in the next several months.  This will be our third move in a little over two years, and there are many competing priorities in trying to identify our next change of place.  

We want to remain geographically close to our four children and six grandchildren, even while they have their own priorities and lives to live.  Both Sue and I require sufficient personal space – I’m messy, she’s not, I’m loud, she’s quiet – while also considering our budget and associated ongoing affordability.  We have ruled out living in a condo but neither do we want to have an acre of land to mow.  Our re-homing search is now months old and beginning to feel more like a three dimensional game of chess than the JOY filled adventure we were hoping for.

I feel a little discouraged after being shown so many potential dwellings and seeing only one that we were really attracted to (fell in love with) which we ultimately lost to a competing bid.  It is beginning to appear more likely that our most intimate future friends will be the real estate brokers trying to help us in the search for permanent long-term residency.  Obviously just kidding, we really do like our brokers!  

For the very first time since Sue and I have been married, the search, and decision, is focused solely on our personal considerations, without regard to the needs of our children and extended family.  For example, when we see a pleasant but small house that might suit our needs, should we even consider that it is probably too small to host future family gatherings?  What about having room and a place for the grand kids to play in the back yard?   What if our new residence were actually an hour or two away from the kids instead of the nearby neighborhoods where they currently live?  We may see them even less.   

What’s happening is that Sue’s and my circumstances and needs are morphing separately from the needs and circumstances of the family and friends we love the most.  We are in a new season and time of change for ourselves. 

This is a typical conundrum of multi-generational family aging, and challenges that affect the vast majority of the population over time.  Yet, for Sue and I we have always considered our familial geographic proximity a gift that we want to continue to enjoy as much as possible!

As we continue to search for our new home, we remain optimistic that all will fall into place at exactly the right time and circumstances that are meant to be.  Please wish us luck, we can’t wait to share it with you!