how do you know it's time to move on?

We keep moving forward, opening new doors, and doing new things, because we're curious and curiosity keeps leading us down new paths.

Walt Disney, American creator of Mickey Mouse

I was sitting at one of my favorite coffee houses this morning getting geared up for the week, when I was visited by an acquaintance who asked--how do you know it is time to move on and go someplace else? 

 

For me, it was time to move when the call to return to the country was so intense, where I longed to see an unobstructed sunrise and sunset, have room to breathe and a house with space for the imagination.  We had been dipping a toe in the water for years, until one day it hit me like a ton of bricks...it was time to go, and I felt it to my core. Our house was ready because we had been maintaining it all along, and it sold immediately.  It was relatively easy. Buying our next home was a different story, but I discovered when the timing is right, things just slide into place.

 

With selling your house, you have to be ready to go and not "kind of want to go someplace else."  It won't work unless you are fully in and committed to the journey--in your mind can you see your new house? in your heart are you ready to let go of the attachment? and in your body are you ready to move your life?  Of course there is a bit of physical work to be done--have the house in good condition so that someone else would want to buy it.  But by being ready in a holistic way, you make the process so much easier on yourself.  

 

So if you are wishfully looking to move and aren't sure about when, start looking and listening for the signs within yourself that it is time to move on to your next adventure.  Then take a deep breath,  set your intention, take a leap of faith and give me a call! :)   Then start packing because it sets the right energy in your home that you are leaving.

seeing our shadow

"Did you ever have de ja vu, Mrs. Lancaster?"

"I don't think so, but I could check with the kitchen"

Phil Conors (Bill Murray) Groundhog Day.

If you haven't ever seen the movie Groundhog's Day with Bill Murray...run out and get a copy today. In brief, it is the story of Phil Conors, a weatherman, who goes to Punxsutawny, PA to witness if the groundhog sees his shadow. He wakes up to the same day over and again until he learns the lesson of becoming a better man. (That is really a nutshell and hardly does justice to the movie..."Am I right? Or am I right?")
We have been going through our own de ja vu as we have had repeated snow days here in eastern Pennsylvania...each day getting more extreme than the next. We definitely got to see our shadow side as cabin fever set in, and three kids who are dealing with all the pressures of the move let me have it.
Granted, life has changed dramatically for them...we have moved to a new country home that is very much the opposite of our former one, they are taking the school bus, in school with hundreds of kids, routines are different, missing friends...and suddenly we are reliving the same thing every day of "I wanna go home!!"
Moving with kids, much like the story of Phil Conors is about learning something new and becoming better than we were yesterday. At times, it is one step forward and two steps back, but learning to be patient and realizing this is a huge adjustment for everyone helps tremendously. Stop. Breathe. Find a good local restaurant for take-out and eat in the living room...show them that turning the world upside down can be great!
Many of the things we are discovering are fun...like the long icy driveway that is the best for skating and the mom-and-pop stores that wield treasures not found in chains, the hopes of spring and warmer weather...so we can open the pool!

only the best

I have the simplest tastes.

I am always satisfied with the best.

Oscar Wilde, Irish Poet & NovelistWith the holidays behind us and most of the boxes unpacked, I am going to start sharing my home with you. The rooms are cozy, but there is much work to be done. Because I love to make a house a home, I am completely inspired by this challenge. Yet, I am waiting and watching for only the best. Why wait you may ask? I am waiting because over the years of redecorating rooms, I developed quite a habit of looking for bargains...great deals whether I needed them or not. When we moved, I realized just how many "bargains" I had collected...many no longer worked in my space. My "bargains" added up to more than one really good piece would have cost.
When we moved to Pennfield, I made a conscious decision to do it differently. Despite the great challenge to start changing and rearranging, I am taking time to learn this house in order to find exactly what needs to be here. It is the type of home that needs more than just the usual. Taking steps rather than "a room in a day" approach is going to create a home that respects the history and feel of this place.
But even with great restraint, there are things that cannot wait. First on the list is to paint all the trim...I can live in any house so long as the trim is in a beautiful soft shade of white. Historic colors are often mistaken as only these dark, dreary ones...but that isn't my style. As we make up the rooms we will show the progress, and I invite you to share your ideas.
And remember long ago when I wrote about my dream of a black and white checkerboard floor in my house? Voila!! Ask and you shall receive! Anything is possible...especially as you seek for the best!