Saturday, June 16, 2012

Selling/Giving Away

Many things just fall into place around here, while others we have to struggle with.  Steve had a lunch with an old work friend today, so he could "gift" him with some more "engineerish" kinds of gifts.  So glad Steve knows some of those kinds of people!

My good friend came to pick up a leather recliner and a card table and chairs for her son and daughter-in-law.  She's hoping to purchase a couch and a chair from my living room too, if her husband approves.

Just before that friend came, I was working  in the garage - labeling boxes with my beloved label maker - when some neighbors and more recent "reacquainted friends" from my working days at Tektronix came by.  Just another of life's fun surprises.  They'd noticed our For Sale sign in the yard a week or so ago and had stopped back then to ask what we were up to.  They'd seen us while we were on a walk through the neighborhood.  When we explained what was up with us, they said it was very interesting as they'd just finished a major remodel on their vacation home on the Wilson River at the coast, and were reconsidering their decision to own two homes.  It's very fun to know people who are also just re-thinking their life plans.  It seems many people do get to a point at some time when they wonder why they are living the way they are.

Today those same neighbor friends came by to take a photo of our front water feature.  (They are thinking of doing one.)  Also, they had news to share!  Seems they've been talking a lot since we last spoke and are thinking they'll sell their house here and move to their coastal home and get a small RV to get back to camping again!  I can't tell you how fun it is to know others who share in some small way our desire to move into a more simple lifestyle.  It simply feels like we're not alone in this big life-altering adventure of ours.  My dream is that we will be able to reconnect with this couple over the years.  They've offered to let us park our "rig" in their driveway at the coast even. Imagine working with someone in your early 20's.  Around 30 years later I discover they live in our neighborhood, and now they are considering down-sizing at the same time as us.  Too fun!

I received a second email from a woman wanting to purchase one of my living room chairs.  The same chair my close friend wanted...  Before I could finish explaining to Steve how I wasn't sure how to proceed, the phone rang again.  Seems my close friend's husband wasn't as keen on the furniture.  No problem, since God is apparently providing me with another buyer.  This woman answering my Craigslist ad is in a wheelchair and says she needs my very comfy chair when she returns to the Portland area in a couple weeks.  Hopefully, her children will come get it for her soon and we will both be happy.

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I've been thinking this morning about how fast all this change is happening with us and how really short the time has been since we even first entertained the idea.  It's mind blowing, really. 

I had someone comment early on about what we were trying to do.  I'd mentioned that some people worry we might be making a mistake.  She said, “You two know yourselves. This is the right thing for you.”

It’s true! Not everything has to be thought of for a really, really long time. Obviously, liquidating one’s life, and the preparation for this change takes time anyway. I think all the challenges that present themselves are preparation for the end result. We work well together and know what’s important to us and how we’d like to live. We deal with challenges together, and always get to the other side united.  It's kind of like the trial by fire experienced when a young couple is engaged.  All that planning and getting things done is stressful!  Yet it prepares them for what they will face after the wedding too.  Truth is, Steve and I were only engaged for three weeks.  However, we had to face a lot of hurdles before and during those three weeks, and it did help prepare us for the next challenge.

I have spent a lot of time thinking about my motives in making this change. It’s true that we will not be avoiding problems. In some ways, moving does get us out of certain “ruts”.   But the relationship things with others we need to work through are still there.  In some cases I think our moving away is actually the thing that others might need! Sometimes getting out of the way helps others step forward.

We really hadn’t been thinking this thing through for a long time, but in hindsight, it’s been in the works for a long time -- we just didn't know it!

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