Two roads diverged in a yellow wood,
And sorry I could not travel both
And be one traveler, long I stood
And looked down one as far as I could
To where it bent in the undergrowth…
This is one of my favorite poems by Robert Frost. I think of it every time there is a big decision to be made, and it gives me comfort. After all, life IS about making choices for better or for worse. This poem affirms it for me.
The reason I bring this up is for the past couple of weeks now, we’ve been faced with diverging roads and we’ve been wrestling with what road to take. When I say we, I really mean me. M. bases his decisions on facts and logic while I struggle with the intangibles and emotional. If I had based this particular decision on logic and facts, the choice I made would be a foolish one by that standard. Thank goodness I have a husband who is willing to accommodate my foolishness.
We have decided to move back to California. It’s a choice that I still struggle with, hoping that it’s the right one for us. I was very excited when we first moved to Dallas. I was excited about the great financial advantage that comes along with the lower cost of living. We have done very well here. We have retirement saving, college savings, savings account, and we have established on an emergency fund. M. is doing great at work and I have a very stable job. For all intents and purposes, we are thriving financially. Why would we want to go and move back to a state that is in bankruptcy?
Because for at least the past year, all I think about is how terribly lonely it is not to have family around to share in our good fortune. Yes, we have met some great neighbors who are great to hang out with. The problem is when Memorial Day or Fourth of July holidays roll around, they celebrate it with THEIR family. I don’t begrudge them that. I just want to be able to do the same with mine.
So now that I am standing at the fork in the road, I have chosen to take the one that will take me home. I just hope that going home is the right thing to do.
If it's not, we'll be here to help you. That's what family does.
ReplyDeleteThat is a big decision and a hard one, but having family near makes life worth living more than money can in the long run.
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