How Will my Family React?

By this time in my life, my family knows me quite well. This new life plan came as no surprise to my family members, though concerns over my safety did arise. Everyone close to me knows how much I love to travel and how determined I am to attain my life goals.

The decision to sell my beautiful home in one of the most ideal locations for raising children and visiting as an outdoor enthusiast wasn’t easy. What made it considerably easier was the tremendous amount of snow our area received the past few years. With one son living 4.5 hours away and the other 10 hours, the possibility of having family help with snow removal was impossible. Shoveling the snow off my roof, which I did until I was 62, was beginning to become unsafe. Plus, living on a fixed income did not afford me the continued expense of hiring others on a daily, weekly, or monthly basis.

There came a point where I realized my house and property had complete control over my life. In order to pay for my property taxes, house insurance, umbrella insurance, pre buy propane for the winter, electricity, and city taxes, not to mention my own living expenses, I had to either rent the apartment I created in my lower level when my husband died, or rent it out as an Airbnb.

When my youngest son would come home from college, it was fabulous to spend time with him. He helped me with house projects I needed to do to improve the aesthetics, in order to sell it at some point in time. We enjoyed working together, problem-solving, and accomplishing projects as a team.

As his schooling completed and he started his first job, I realized the upkeep on the house and property was no longer something I wanted to continue to do. Having renters in my lower level apartment was more of a responsibility and liability than I wanted to continue, into the future. However, in order to pay for the upkeep on my house, that was something I HAD to do. That meant putting my dreams of traveling, visiting old friends and meeting new friends was not an option.

Blessings Embraced:

• Having a loving and accepting family gives me the courage to make changes in my life

• Sometimes change is what is needed to feel fulfilled, even if it is a major change

Affirmation: I accept the decisions I need to make in order to have a fulfilling life!