Since we’re waiting for some more progress on our new home after another snow storm, I thought you might enjoy reading my thoughts from last year at this time:

There’s nothing like a crisis to define who you are.  Like the way my own midlife crisis showed me the way to a brand new life, one where I made better personal choices.

Now a new crisis is turning our lives upside down… but in a good way.

Mike’s disability has made it clear that he cannot work 40 hours a week any longer.  So we have decided to move to the place where we would prefer to live, in the kind of setting where we always pictured ourselves.

This week we made our first major commitment to our new future by purchasing three acres at the top of the foothills.  (See the view above from our new land.)  We also began discussions with builders… our dream begins to come alive.

I’m starting to be able to imagine how awesome (a word I seldom use!) it will be to live in our new solar home down in southern Colorado, and the freedom this alternative lifestyle will offer us.  It almost makes all of the hard work we will have to do between now and then worthwhile.

I have been thinking a lot lately about all of the reasons why some decide to stay in place at retirement, while others move someplace else.  It strikes me that moving is not for the weak of body or spirit. You need to start early with a strong desire for an alternative lifestyle.

Mike and I have always wanted to get out of the suburbs.  When I first met Mike nine years ago, he said he would not move again unless he could get a great view out of the deal.  Well, I guess we will have that soon, plus a much more environmentally-friendly, relaxed rural lifestyle.

Every time we go south now, it becomes more difficult to return to our home up north.  I guess that’s a positive sign!

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