Wednesday, February 24, 2010

Walking the fine line

I have realized, as Hubby and I falter over our plan to 'downsize' and live the next ten years in a home that's more manageable than our present abode, there's a fine line between planning for our aging and planning for our demise.

We've walked through a number of homes-for-sale with our realtor, making comments like, "That corner would be hard to maneuver in a wheelchair," or "If one of us were recuperating from surgery, would that main floor bedroom be big enough?" or "If we were stuck in bed all day, would we want to look out on that view everyday?"

Who are these people talking that way? How different from when we bought this house (twenty-three years ago), when we said things like, "That's where we'll put a vegetable garden," or "How about a gazebo over there?" or "Finishing the basement would be feasible and add another 500 square feet."

Are we being pessimistic? Or sensible? If we feel our next move is just taking us one step closer to the cemetery, naturally, we'll want to stall it. If, however, we feel our move is taking us to freedom from the burdens of a big house and a huge lot, we'll want to rush it. Depending on the day (and the aches and pains), we vacillate on our approach and attitude.

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