Saturday, July 3, 2010

Perching


Curiously I find myself perching again.


Perching. Such as what birds do when they are contemplating their next move. Some perch high on wires, some atop a windswept snag and some choose a comfy spot in the brush.

"Perching is that contemplative time between what was and what will be"
(me)

Normally in perch mode I am very anxious for you see I am a Nester. The comfort of the nest is what I crave. I wish for all my simple, small possessions around me - books, rocks, feathers, baskets, pottery, etc. Comfort in the familiar, the loved, the cherished. Waking each morning and knowing they are there is cozy. Cozy is nice. Boxes and clutter make me crazy, as do the inevitable packing, storing and the audacious nastiness of actually moving.

"A house is made of walls and beams; a home is built with love and dreams"
(Dr. William A. Ward)

However, we, as a family, are entering a new phase. The teenager is now in her own apartment awaiting classes to begin this her first year of college. We're readying the city house to sell and are moving back to the lake house. But, there's a catch. Hubby enjoys the city house with its conveniences; I enjoy the lake house surrounded by nature. As in all marriages compromise is the name of the game. Hubby and I have reached a compromise. We're going to sell both houses, eventually, and find another that we both enjoy. Good plan in today's real estate market, eh? If it were up to Hubby we would move every 5 years. He has a restless soul.

"He is the happiest, be he king or peasant, who finds peace in his home"
(Johann Wolfgang von Goethe)

Peace is good. There is a part of me that has found peace with this decision. I'm at peace because our home is at peace. Teen angst is gone and there is no Empty Nest feeling at all in my soul. Instead, I'm busy planning the next stage of OUR lives, hubby and me. It's like beginning again. We are planning together, considering each others desires, talking of travel and what WE want to do the rest of our lives.

"A long marriage is two people trying to dance a duet and two solos at the same time"
(Anne Taylor Fleming)

My personal solo involves photography and greeting cards, a business of which is starting slowly, stutteringly, stopping and starting multiple times thanks to various family events, drama, and yes, moving. Again.


"I like to tell people that all of our products and businesses will go through three phases. There's vision, patience and execution."
(Steve Ballmer)

Currently, I'm in between the "patience" phase and the "execution" phase. So I'm perching again. I'm not certain what the near future holds but I am comforted this morning knowing that I've been strengthened by the past therefore I'm ready for just about anything. Stay tuned.

12 comments:

Gaelyn said...

This sounds like a wonderful plan. I too like my "stuff" around me, yet living in this tiny RV with Mike means I haven't put much out. We are looking for a bigger RV to better accommodate both of us. But, I like to move the house and keep the stuff. It's a great balance for me. I think Mike is learning this new lifestyle. We do, however, have stuff in storage also. Good luck!

Karen - An Artist's Garden said...

What a beautiful image you have created.

New life stages are always fun, anxious, different and I wish you both lots of happiness as you enter the next phase.
K

Northern Beauty Seeker said...

To perch on the cusp of a wonderful new journey in your life is a magical place to be. A place to dream. Let your imagination take flight!

Robin's Nesting Place said...

I can identify with you, I like cozy and being surrounded by nature.

I'm glad your empty nest is bringing you peace. I have a 22 yo and 18 yo, I am thankful both are still living at home. I dread those empty nest years, but I also look forward to that time alone with my wonderful husband.

I would love to one day use my photography for greeting cards. I make a few right now just for personal use, but friends have been encouraging me to do that. Maybe when/if things ever calm down for us I can focus on something like that.

I hope your homes sell quickly and that you find a wonderful place where both you and your hubby can be blissfully content.

wcgillian said...

Deb,
I think you are experiencing many of the same feelings I did when we had to move from my childhood home in Montana. I had to rid myself of almost all of my things. The hardest for me was the smells of my dad's workshop and the sounds that were made opening the cupboards in my mother's kitchen. For my wife and I the apartment life has worked out OK but it will never be a home. Happy 4th everyone!

Deborah Carr said...

How exciting for you. Change keeps you alive and on your toes and looking to the horizon. Sounds like no ruts or routine for you!

We are in the patience phase, awaiting the chance to roam freely for a time...although I must have roots somewhere, a place to come home to, I have the need to wander for awhile, just to try it on...you know...to see if it fits.

Bo Mackison said...

Let's make a date to talk. You're life slowed down enough to do that now? I'm quite recovered from my trip.

We could talk photography and change and empty nesting, and whatever else comes up...

:-)

Lythrum said...

I can understand the dilemma, but for me it is the two parts of me that are always fighting against each other. I want to have a home and somewhere to belong after a lifetime of moving around every five years or so. But then when I have been in one place for a few years I start to feel restless and ready to move on. Always scanning the horizons and evaluating what would be a good "next" place. I'm glad that you could come to a compromise that works for both of you.

inadvertent farmer said...

You are better than I with this...I dreaded the empty nest so much that I went and had another 'set' to replace the first when they left


I hope you find a home that you both adore...but hopefully you'll get to keep the lake house for a while longer. I love your photos from there...Kim

Unknown said...

I love your sharing this piece of your life. I wish you the best in the transitions and the passages. Absolutely gorgeous butterfly.

Cheers!
Julie
Julie Magers Soulen Photography

debsgarden said...

A new house! And with it new friends, new discoveries. Change will keep you young! Our children are grown and gone, and sometimes I think about moving. We have several acres and a fairly large house. Wouldn't something smaller be nice? But I think we've perched so long, we've grown into the soil. It will take a lot to uproot us. But sometimes i dream, and who knows what the future may hold!

Eve said...

Ok Debi...you snuck this one in while I was on vacation. I think I started reading it and something must have happened and I didn't finish! Figures!!! Ok now I know a little about what is going on....could you please find a house on the lake over here on my side of the mountain!!!??? Wishful thinking I know!!! Don't go too far...I need my Debi fix every now and then!
See you soon...we must catch up!

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