When Eileen first saw the sunny bungalow with wrap around porch she immediately fell in love and moved in. Her life was filled with fresh change. She went to school close by, fell in love and brought her first born child home.
But as life went on, she had a change of job, relationship and financial stability. Frankly she felt like a different person five years later. The ability to hang on to the beautiful house became a noose around her neck. It was no longer a cheerful companion. It DID represent the good times of the past and for that reason alone, to capture the cheer of days gone by, she stayed. Problem was she didn't have the time or money for repairs or upkeep. Her priorities changed. When cash was available she chose vacations, a new car and good insurance for her child and herself.
WHAT OUR DWELLING SHOULD OFFER US
- A warm loving safety zone
- Affordability
- Easy access to our lifestyle choices
- A house should be our teacher-partner that adapts to our gifts and blessings and grows with us keeping life fresh.
- A house should delight us when we walk in the door, as well as offer our minds creative dreams of decor.
WHEN ITS TIME TO LEAVE THE OLD DWELLING
- Its filled with negative memories of a divorce, death, or hard times. {All that energy is still living within its walls.}
- Paying the monthly rent or bank payment takes everything you have.
- Your dwelling is too far from work, play and for your children to get to school.
- The cost for house repairs is too much. It's deteriorating before your eyes.
- You feel imprisoned and as if your dwelling holds you back from a life.
LOVING THE LAND AND GARDENS MORE THEN THE HOUSE
When we invest time into a relationship with our gardens and land, its easy to feel we owe it to ourselves to stay despite the odds. Land takes money, health and time to care for. Our gardens are never truly ours. They will happily grow with rapt freedom into what ever they want to be with out us. In a sense our beautiful gardens are our captive slaves based on our terms and desire to create "beauty" . Go on vacation for 2 weeks and the garden is free to invite weeds and tall grass.
- You do not own the land. It owns itself.
- Staying with a stagnant home for fear the gardens will lose our artistic identity, is like clinging to a child to force our expectations.
- Moving on allows the next owners to co create with the garden, and it may be just the fresh change the land needed. Just like you!
STAYING FOR THE PETS
Perhaps the worst thing we can do to ourselves is to make the mistake of obtaining so many pets our dwelling becomes a refuge for them, and a prison for us. What do we do with our beloved pets when the house we live in is a noose around our neck we can't afford? We must face the fact that if we do not find a new place that will take our beloved pets, or a loving new owner, our only choice is to place them to a shelter. With houses closed down everywhere by banks,. there are horror stories of animals left behind to starve.
- I shelter 2 dogs and 5 cats, all victims of past neglect or abuse. They are the light of my life and I have over a half acre land, house and studio to care for them.
- I am also blessed in that all my dogs are seniors, and the day will come when they pass naturally and I never have to worry about moving on.
- One-Pet owners may make the mistake of fearing change to another home will harm their beloved pet. The owner stays and withers in stagnation, watching life pass by, all for the comfort of their animal soul mate.
- Like children, pets are tough. They understand that home is where love is. You can take that love wherever you go with them to a new and fresher home.
- Folks with horses and livestock are blessed, but many are victims of a life choice to stay in an outworn stagnant dwelling as slaves to their large animal family.
- Perhaps the lesson is to think wisely before taking in too many pets. Understand that with each new pet comes responsibly and a choice to stay rooted to a home base.
Your home should be a teacher of life, guiding you through your spiritual changes until your ready for the next level. When this stops, stagnancy sets in. Leave your life just free enough, financially, gardening and just the right number of pets, so your home never becomes your prison. You never know what creative choice lies before you.