Facing Change

 

Before I started this post, I looked back on some of my older entries, because I wanted to write about downsizing, as Joe and I are looking at a new chapter in our lives very soon. I had the feeling I already touched on that subject, and in fact I did. But it was more about downsizing and transitioning from one career to another, although I'm not so sure I can call my writing journey a career. I haven't written a bestseller (yet!), I don’t go on book tours or do podcasts, but that’s okay. I'm on this journey in a way that works perfectly well for me. But I digress.

In less than two years now, my husband will be retiring from his job as an audiologist. We are actually counting down by the months now, not years. We have not decided where we will go or even whether we will buy a home or rent. In the past, where we were going was easy, because obviously we went where the job was located. Not too difficult to figure that out! There will be no job for either one of us this time around.

We have talked about this often. Do we move to a brand new city, back to Ohio where we grew up and have many friends and family nearby, back to Idaho, or stay put? Having lived in both a small town and large, we both know we do prefer small town living. I have started a file for small town websites and check them out from time to time. It might be quite the adventure to move to an entirely new city and state and see how that would play out. If we are not happy, then there is always simply another move.

In the meantime, though, we have already started downsizing so hopefully we won't have a whole lot to pack. But deciding what to keep, what to throw away or donate—that’s not always an easy task. The photo above is a creamer and sugar bowl that belonged to my mom. On the day we were leaving Ohio to Idaho, Mom stopped by the house and gave me this set. She wanted me to have something from her house to our new home in Idaho. It meant so much to me, because Mom was so supportive of our move, even though I knew she was a little nervous about it. Both my brother and sister lived out of state, although within driving distance. But Joe and I lived about 5 miles from Mom’s place, and we were always there to help her when she needed it.  There would still be family and friends for her, but I knew it wouldn't be quite the same. Then when she passed away only a few short months after our move, well that creamer and sugar bowl are now more precious than gold to me.

If you are a regular reader of my blog, then you know I have a few collections—spatulas, teapots, a few moose here and there. Just about all of them have a story behind each purchase or some that were gifts. So there will be room for those on our next move. We have a lot of books, so much so that we were not able to unpack all of them for our current home, so a high priority on the next house will be enough room for bookcases and shelves. As I'm sure you are aware, there are some books you just have to keep, even if you only read them one time. I'm not sure why that is, but it just is!

The more I think about it, the more I wonder just how much we will downsize. It’s amazing how much stuff you can accumulate over a lifetime, but so much of that stuff has meaning, so how do you just give that away or throw it away? Somehow I have a feeling there won't be all that much in the way of downsizing after all. I guess we just might have to make sure we have one or two extra rooms to hold all those memories. And I'm okay with that!

Thanks for stopping by. If you want to learn more about our journey, you can read all about it in A Life Time After Time and you can find that and all my books right here: https://www.amazon.com/-/e/B00U0KSQCO  Keep reading, keep writing, and always enjoy your day!