We sold our home earlier this summer, a process that moved faster than we’d anticipated. In fact so fast, that we hadn’t found a new home yet. The local storage facility solved our transition dilemma and freed us to relocate to our family getaway cottage. However, being a “getaway place” means it’s far from work, which has led to a patchwork of remote days, Airbnb housing and some business travel to manage through this homeowner’s hiatus.
Sound complicated? In fact, it’s been a wonderful adventure. Instead of the routine commute to work and sitting in weekend beach traffic, it’s liberated me from train schedules. And as I’m walking to work, I’ve helped my team gain an unbeatable advantage in our office summer “step challenge.” My husband and I have sampled different city neighborhoods through Airbnb stays, enjoying the tempo and energy of city living after years in the slumbering suburbs. And perhaps best of all, our time at the family getaway has been more enjoyable because we know it’s at least temporarily permanent.
Admittedly, it’s been easy because we’re not anxiously trying to get kids into a particular school system or hastily establishing residency to satisfy a job requirement. However, we’re also navigating this well because we don’t fear uncertainty, a mindset made possible perhaps because we’re a bit older or maybe because we’ve been through worse and know things somehow always manage to work out.
So for now, the adventures of being property-free continue. Thank you, Airbnb, Hotels.com, Uber and Amtrak, whose services have contributed to this successful experiment. And of course, the calendar, too, which fortunately made this all happen during the warm summer months. Chapter two may be very different come winter!
its carmen sense 