03 February, 2010

Ch-ch-ch-ch-changes ...

So, the raison d'etre of this blog is taking a slightly dramatic shift. With the recent drastic change in my income, and the unusual weather keeping me housebound (snow in NC?!), I have been doing a lot of reflecting, philosophizing, and questioning. I won't bore you with the tedious details of how I came to my decision, but the decision has been made nonetheless: I am going to get rid of my belongings, get my house in order, sell my house, and buy an RV and call it home. Yes, I know you may be thinking any number of thoughts about this decision ... likely all in the vein of "Is she off her noggin?" But, I don't think I am. (Well, not in regards to this decision, anyway.) I finally realize that in trying to secure a somewhat normal life for myself, I have only managed to make myself a relative hermit with lots of pets, too many bills, and a tendency toward boredom and depression. From the moment I bought my house, my excitement at having taken a responsible (read: conventional) "grown up" step toward a proper (read: conventional) "grown up" life has been shadowed by a strong feeling of suffocation and entrapment. While I love Durham, I have never truly felt at home here. My life has become a stagnant, purposeless, boring mess, and threatens to continue this thread if I don't take action to change it. And the action that seems to make the most sense for me, is to release the baggage of then, and start over with the now. I've been reading everything I can find on selling a home, and buying an RV, and living in an RV, and being nomadic, in general, etcetera, etcetera. And every time I envision what my new life might be like, I get happy little butterflies in my belly. Okay, so half of those butterflies are gleefully happy, and the other half are scared out of their wits, but even the thought of doing something this scary feels pretty incredible. Isn't is common knowledge that truly spectacular awakenings can only really happen when we remove ourselves from our comfort zone?
So, while I'll continue to post about the things I'm doing to get my house ready to go to market, I'll also be sharing insights on the preparations for this new life journey. I've already started posting furniture for sale on craigslist, and have begun some small repairs on the house. I've done round one of primer painting on the hideous salmon pink trim in the hallway. (It was left by the previous owners, and I never got around to changing it.) I've removed all the old grody caulk around my bathtub, and am prepping it for new sealant stripping. I'm constantly editing my belongings and relegating oodles of items to the attic to sort for sale once I've freed up a little more space in the house proper. Plus, I've compiled a list of all the things I need to have addressed for the house to be ready to be shown to a realtor. The list includes estimated costs, notes on potentially necessary goods and services purchases, and the estimated order of priority for each item. (It's a bit longer than I'd like it to be, but it's doable, and that's a comfort.) My dad has agreed to help me with many of the items on the list, which is also a great comfort. So, you see, the blog's taking a huge Left Turn ... as is my life.
Check back often ... I'm sure there's gonna be lots to share as the journey unfolds. As always, your feedback is welcomed. Here's to happy experimental adventure!

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