No one has placed an offer on the empty house yet—and since the average on-market period for houses in our area is 60 days, I’m disappointed, but not surprised. Hopefully, the right buyer will come along soon.
Meanwhile, I have some breathing room to contemplate what I want in terms of a new home for this next stage of my life. One clear feeling that has surprised me is that I no longer want a yard and garden to tend.
As many of you know, gardens have been an important part of my life—and have shown up in my blog posts a lot over the years. I’ve blogged about everything from an abundance of tomatoes to the concept of going to seed. So why do I find myself willing to let all that go?
Much of it is about responsibility. As I noted in my Labor Day post two years ago, I’ve been feeling the weight of responsibility for a while now. There’s a lot involved in keeping up a house and yard, and I’m not getting any younger. Nor is my workload getting lighter. As a single householder, there will also be no one else to share that responsibility with.
I still take morning walks just about every day. As my Instagram feed clearly demonstrates, I enjoy sharing images from plants and landscapes I encounter on those walks. I’ve realized that I can continue to do that even when I don’t have a yard full of plants to cultivate and care for. As for my vegetable gardens, I imagine being much more intentional about frequenting growers’ markets in whatever part of town I eventually land.
Another advantage of less responsibility is more freedom to travel. I noted last week that this month’s Instagram images would come from a trip I took with family to Tuscany 14 years ago. The image above is part of what got me thinking about the challenges of caring for older homes. Can you imagine what would be involved in caring for this particular ancient Italian structure?
I’ll share some more images of older buildings on Instagram this week. Meanwhile, I invite you to consider your own relationship with responsibility and how it has changed over the years.
Shirin I can relate. The burden of responsibility is exactly the reason we recently sold our house in AZ and returned to PA, abandoning the “winter visitor” lifestyle. Even the travel back and forth, which we enjoyed and appreciated became a financial and energy – draining responsibility. Life changes. I get it and will hold you in my prayers for that just right buyer for your home.
Here we have more space… which we appreciate – but that too becomes a responsibility for our aging bodies to clean and care for. We made the move with the idea of being in PA for two years or so, then evaluating what we need and want for the next stage of life. But you know the saying…. We plan and God laughs!
You giving up the idea of gardening was a real surprise but I suspect you will might find some way to plant and nurture…. Maybe a small deck or balcony “plot” for seasonal plantings… Maybe the God of surprises delight you!!!
You have inspired me to think about the responsibility of having way too many clothes! Next project is to purge the closet… again!
Blessings on the journey of letting go and finding new sources of wonder and delight!
Oh, thank you, Joyce, for sharing your own stories about home and responsibility. I’m grateful for your perspective on this as an ongoing process that we may return to again at different times. We shall see what happens in terms of my relationship with the natural world…. Blessings on sorting through your closet!
Peace,
Shirin
You have now convinced me to get back to frequenting Farmers Markets instead of buying into a community garden plot … because I am too old as well. Thank you for nourishing me with that truth this Monday, Shirin.
Responsibility, especially if you wheedled your way into taking it on with another without other commitments, is a slippery slope which requires digging in and pulling out the weeds there as well. I thank you for that reminder too! More good work today from you to me, today.
Oh, Mo, I’m grateful to have informed and inspired you…and may you see the blessings even in letting go of your community plot and supporting farmers at the market. May it be clear what weeds you need to pull in this season of your life.
Peace,
Shirin
We’ve “downsized” twice. Each time, we’ve realized we can live well in a smaller space. The yard in our first home was a quarter acre! After a few years of maintaining and irrigating, we returned it to its natural state.
Now we have “lock and go” homes… no yards to tend… only a herb garden… because I hate paying for herbs. Our dogs are our biggest responsibility!
We are very fortunate to spend summer in an agriculture area. Farmer and egg stands that operate on the honor system are plentiful. I freeze a lot of produce when it’s in season. I can blanch and flash freeze… pickling is above my pay grade! It’s good to support our farmers, in whatever way we can!
Thank you, Damien, for sharing your own experience with downsizing. It’s encouraging to consider what my future “lock and go” home might look like. I also hope to make good use of a freezer to take advantage of local bounty…whatever that might look like! We do need to support local growers. I’m glad you do!
Peace,
Shirin