26 November 2011

Decisions, decisions; or why I'm glad I don't have to know the answers today

Originally, Sunshine & I bought this magic bus as an interim measure. Two landlords in a row had put our renthouses on the market right out from under us (in the post-crash market, no less, how dumb is that?), and we decided that we wanted something that was OURS. Because we have credit score issues, we made the very conscious decision to buy an RV to live in until we could buy some land and build what we wanted on it.

I am reaching that point of no return. I enjoy the lifestyle. It is very "high speed, low drag", and it is also just so much simpler in so many ways. I have a grand total of 250 square feet of home to clean (and that's a generous estimate). I don't have property taxes, I don't have lawn maintenance, yada yada blah blah.

At the moment, because we are making monthly payments on this beast, expenses are kind of frightening. In two and a half years, when the bus is paid for, expenses become almost negligible.

At first, it was frightening. The thought of giving up all my stuffz and things almost paralyzed me. Now, it is so liberating to not have all that stuffz. It is liberating to go into the small storage compartments that hold my clothes and see only pieces that I love, pieces that feel luxurious and wonderful and just plain fabulous. The shoe collection continues to shrink.

There are drawbacks. The holding tanks are an annoyance that CANNOT be neglected. It is difficult to make the bed because there is less than two feet of space on either side of it. The kitchen is microscopic, and simple tasks such as making toast become overly complicated (hence my love for foods that come in crinkly packages).

Yet, overall, I don't think I'd give it up. I even like the neighborhood. We are treated like family here. Yes, the hour commute (one-way) is brutal for somebody dealing with chronic neck and back pain (me), and gasoline isn't getting any cheaper, but the haunting beauty of this "wetland of international significance" is awe inspiring.

Mind you, I grew up minutes from a major metropolitan area, and love love love real cities. Hence the conundrum.

Part of me wants to go home, to Georgia. Mom is there, my sister is there, there is stuffz to do there, places to go where I can wear these amazing clothes that are so unsuited to life in the swamp. Dallas TX calls my name, also. My bilingual-ness would be an edge when seeking employment.

I'm just glad that my recovery program has brought me to a place where I don't have to have the answers right now. I'm also glad that both the ATL and the DFW metroplex have places to park a magic bus. I can have the best of both worlds if I feel led back to city life.

2 comments:

  1. It's pretty fucking amazing to have choices, right? And to not have to have all the answers. Clarity is a beautiful thing.
    It would be awesome if you lived in Dallas though and I could catch up with you on a visit.

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  2. The charm of a really small space to clean really really appeals to me, I cannot lie.

    But I have a feeling the magic school bus would not accommodate my family of 5 ...

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