Conventional Wisdom.
After Marsh died, I agonized for two years over my living arrangement. Should I keep my home and guest house in Mexico, even though I didn’t much like living there alone? Should I sell and look for something smaller and easier to maintain?
Should I spend more time in California and the “Grammy flat” we built behind my daughter’s house in San Jose? How much time, if I expected to find some friends and have a life independent of my daughter and granddaughters?
Thanks to indecision, my natural inclination to act was stifled. I followed conventional wisdom for a new widow and did nothing.
Last year, the answers dawned on me: 1. Subdivide my property and sell the bigger piece. 2. With some of the proceeds, rehab the guest house on the smaller piece to suit my needs. 3. Change my mindset and think of California as home, with frequent trips to my “get-away place in Mexico” the new life plan.
Let’s hear it for conventional wisdom. My staying in place and doing nothing helped these three decisions make themselves, it feels to me now. And there’s a bonus. I get to indulge my passion and design another living space. A not-so-big place this time, with a dedicated writing space so I can indulge this newer passion, too.
Sweet. Now all I need is a buyer.