If you’ve been reading along here, you may have already read my last post where I describe all the homes my husband Mike and I have built together. If not, you can catch up here. In that story, I also detail how we came to (rather happily) realize that we are ready to move yet again.
So, now here we are, in the midst of yet another move. I started, naturally, by making a spreadsheet and beginning to seek out rentals that fit our criteria: spacious with extra bedrooms, multiple levels, closer to our workplaces, to name a few.
Then, we went ahead and started excitedly viewing homes. I’ve detailed the places we viewed with photos over on Instagram in the Our House highlight.
To summarize, these are the places we saw:
Home #1: A modern three-level townhome with very limited living space, even compared to our tiny cottage.
Home #2: A roomy older home that while in a lovely location, did not live up to the listing photos and had some layout issues.
Home #3: A not-so-new townhouse with a garage in a quiet but not totally convenient location for our lifestyle.
Home #4: A nearly-brand-new three-level townhome with a spacious layout, extra bedrooms and a family room. Walking distance to a village, but no garage.
I actually found it invigorating to be on the hunt for a new place. Truly, I love having a nosy peek inside someone else’s home, picturing versions of our lives in new spaces, and charming potential landlords. But when it came time to make a decision (we narrowed it down to #3 and #4 fairly quickly), the wind was taken right out of my sails.
Looking back, we really did have to make a rather large life decision in a short span of time. And as I tend to be a slower processor when it comes to big life changes, I suppose this contributed to the overwhelm! I put the question of how to make a big decision quickly to my Instagram friends, and had some truly heartwarming advice.
A few things that were common in friends’ responses:
Listen (really listen!) to your gut. I find this So. Hard. To do. When the voice of inner catastrophizer is also rising up in my head. To check in with my actual intuition, I journaled, pulled tarot cards, and talked with loved ones who know me best. (Of course, Mike and I talk things over too and he contributed to the decision! But, when it came down to the final two options, he is immensely supportive and honestly much less picky when it comes down to the details.)
Lists, lists, lists. I made a very detailed pros and cons list with values attached to each factor. The places came out equally, so… Usually a good tip. In this specific case, I think it highlighted just how much of a win-win the decision was. Which brings me to the next advice that resonated with me.
Adjust the black/white thinking or scarcity mindset that is telling you there is a “right” and a “wrong” decision. In most cases, when you have measured out your options thoughtfully, the final two options will both be good. As my best friend said when I obsessively asked her again and again, But what if we pick this place and it’s not the best place?! “Then you will live in the second best place. And it will be fine.”
So, the decision was made. We chose the very modern townhouse within walking distance of dear friends and an adorable village, and said no to the older place with the garage. There’s a little twinge there when it comes to forgoing the extra space for furniture projects, but I’m choosing to lead into the excitement about the perfect location and beautiful blank canvas of the home we chose.
When I emerge from the chaos of packing and moving while finishing summer school and getting ready to go on vacation, I look forward to sharing the process of putting our stamp and our story on our new space!
If you have a minute, tell me the last time you made a big decision, how you did it, and what you’d like me to talk about next in these posts!
x Sarah