ok, so, risk of jinxing myself, but legal counsel says we’re good…
After multiple delays of the paperwork and bureaucracy sort, an offer was made and accepted, and the co-op board approved the buyer. So, as soon as the final paperwork delays are over and a closing is set, I will officially be homeless.
No, wait, let me rephrase that. I will no longer be a legal resident of New York City.
There are so many layers packed into that statement: relief, joy, sadness, regret, anticipation. If you had asked me five years ago, I would have told you they’d take me out of NYC feet-first. If you had asked me three years ago, I would have said that this west coast experiment was just to shake the restlessness off my legs, that I’d be back in NYC sooner rather than later. NYC is my soul-home, my energy source.
But sometimes, maybe, being too close to the source for too long can cause brownouts.
y new home forever? Maybe. I’m loving it here, able to indulge my inner Nature Girl far more easily than I could in NYC. Mountains AND oceans, 20 minutes from my door! (traffic permitting). And I’m loving the winery job far more than I would ever have expected, headaches and all.But also, maybe not. That restlessness in my legs, I’ve come to realize, is a part of me. I may not be a forever-one-place human. Evidence suggests that I tend to reinvent myself every decade or so, rotating around one solid thing (location, person, occupation, etc).   The PNW may become that solid thing, at least for a while. It feels solid, right now.
But I’ve learned not to worry about who I might be ten years from now, while there’s still so much Me, Now, to rediscover. :-)
And it’s not like NYC isn’t still there, whenever I need it. She’s patient. She knows part of me still belongs to her.
Welcome to the “not rooted” club. I am not sure I can stay in Austin, but not sure where I want to go. Lots hinges on various decisions. I’m glad you have found a temporary place that feels good to you.
Perhaps it is true, and writers keep moving, searching for Home but never finding it. We need to keep one foot outside daily life to allow us to observe? But I find myself wanting to plant heritage roses and a Japanese maple. May be time for a temporary home, at least.
Plant them anyway. You will enjoy them for as long as you’re there, and you will leave a gift for those who come after.
(that’s my philosophy, anyway)