A Moving Tale (part 2)

You Can't Always Get What You Want 

So, as I mentioned in part 1, for six months we tried to sell our house so we could move out to the country. During those months the real estate values went negative and a pregnancy test turned positive. One of the worst winters in Iowa history had blanketed the landscape, and we knew it was time to throw in the towel. Daphne had become too pregnant to be interested in moving anywhere except to the bed for a nap, and we needed to get a room ready for the baby.

In the end Daphne didn't get her Victorian farm house, I didn't get my barn workshop, the dog didn't get her six acre playground, and the cats lost their opportunity to scoop up field mice and bop them on the head. 

Now instead of a 35-minute interstate commute, I'm still stuck driving a boring five minutes to work (no jackknifed semis on Aurora Ave.), or a dull eight minutes to daycare. If I choose to shovel my driveway instead of letting my retired neighbor and his snow blower clear our snow, then I've got about two car lengths to clear instead of twenty. If we want to buy groceries, shop at a mall, eat at one of several restaurants, or even see a movie, then we can do that without even getting into the car. The only thing within walking distance of the farmhouse we wanted was the mailbox.   

Sometimes I still drive by that acreage and wonder what it would have been like to live there. But then I drive to a home that might be a bit less romantic, but a whole lot more practical.

 At least this time I didn't have to lose what I have in order to appreciate it.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n_4l1H7Ynrk&feature=related