[AtLast]

In 2000, my LTR of 21 years ended, my Mom and a sister had recently died and I closed a business and moved to a place that I knew no one (even though it is close to my childhood home). I did become involved again, for 6 years. She also died.

My partner and I owned a house together which was mostly furnished with my stuff and I ended up with both my Mom's and sister's personal effects, plus all the furniture in my office. I moved from a 2600 square foot house into an 1100 square foot condo! I gave family members a lot of stuff, but I had so much stuff and was so depressed at the time, I just stored most of what was left.

It took years to face this and part with so many things. I did keep a couple of items like my Mom's bedroom suit, but I had enough extra furniture for 4 families! Plus, I am a collector of things.

Now, I am in a time of my life in which I just really don't want what I don't need and am in preliminary planning for re-location. I'm retired and have some severe arthritis and just need to be in a different climate. I also really want to have a more quiet life and am tired of the hustle and bustle of the Bay Area in CA. Also, this is just not a place to live as I want to on fixed retirement funds.

I am going to have to part with many of the items that do have sentimental value to me, but I just seem to be willing to do so. I think this is just part of falling in with the life stages I am in. Finally, making this decision and starting to plan out when I need to have my house ready to sell has helped. it takes a good six months to get a place ready to sell and it is best to have as little possible in it while being shown. I rented a studio I have to a friend, but she will only be here for about a year and that will fit in with my needing to have the place to myself to prepare for selling it. I will get my kid and a couple of nephews here to help me out with painting, repairs and staging for prospective buyers. My guess is that I will just stay in my RV while it is being shown because it is a pain to be living in a house when trying to sell it- you never know when an agent will be bring someone to look at it. And everything has to be spotless for showings and open-houses. Rather just be in my little house on wheels and not worry about it, plus I don’t want it to look cluttered with a bunch of furniture and stuff. So, the later date to have it sold is September of 2012, hopefully a few months sooner. If I can get all of the stuff out of it (will have to do some storage again, but nothing like before) by November-December of 2011, that would be great. Even with declines in home sales prices here, I have good equity in my place and I want to turn that into more of the life I want to be living. Hell, if I miss SF, I'll visit as a tourist! There are many other places I want to re-visit and others that I have never been to- just in the US! I have to have this phasing plan as I do have some disability issues that make doing all of this a much slower process for me. So, I need to just get it in motion!

Mainly, I want to simplify... that really is at the root of this! And explore more. There is so much that I used to think I needed that I just don't want anymore. I want to travel and do some of that leisure-time thing I hear about! Other areas have much better real estate prices. Perhaps meeting a woman in the same space might happen, but, who knows and I am just not really invested in doing so right now.

Yes, simplification! Interesting, I remember my Mom hitting this time in her life and didn't understand it fully. Now, I do!