The Downsizing Blues

I have noticed that I have a pattern for making the “big” decisions in my life.  I’m a volcano.  Long periods of time pass while unrest, confusion, potential and multiple options heat up in a molten mass deep in my consciousness.  Then it happens.  KABOOM!

This happened in December 2009 when I was laid off from my job and I decided to not return to the work-a-day world and concentrate on finishing my first novel and finding a publisher.  I had been working on my novel for almost ten years at that point and the poor thing had suffered so many revisions, critique classes and neglect I knew it would take a year to smooth out the rough edges and a good polish.  Well, I published my first novel in November 2013.

About two weeks ago my wife and I drove past a home not far from our current home that has been bought and sold at least three times since we moved to the neighborhood about eight years ago.  The sign said:  Price Reduced.  I casually said:  “Let’s look up what they want for it?”

“You want to move?” my poor astonished wife asked.

“Sure, why not, maybe it’s time to downsize.” I offered without a thought.  KABOOM!  When friends from out of state visited just two weeks ago I told them the only way I would leave our current home as feet first.  That didn’t matter to me now.

We’ve always said that we may need to move for health reasons some day in the far distant future.  I guess I didn’t want to wait for that eventuality and choices may be limited.  We don’t live in a palace about 2700 square feet two floor home, too big really for just two people.  We want a home on one level with not more than 2000 square feet.

We wanted a local real estate agent and realized that none of our friends had moved for the last ten years.  Through a friend of a friend we have found an agent but it took longer for that initial baby step than we anticipated.  My wife is the practical one of us and she forced me to sit down with her and draw up a list of amenities for our “final” home.  It was easy.  The test will be whether or not we can meet all of our desired features, especially because one key for us is to not move more than ten miles from our base of Sun Prairie, WI.

We’ve also decided to spruce up the current house by having new carpet and pad installed in the master bedroom and having the carpet in the two rooms on the lower level professionally cleaned.  Right now the house is a shambles getting ready for showing to potential buyers, we have our beloved possessions stuffed everywhere to make room for the work to be done.  I’m exhausted, and have the downsizing blues.