Women’s Memoirs with Kendra Bonnett and Matilda Butler, Post #19 – Memoir Journal, Matilda Butler
Blog Journaling and Memoir Writing
“What do you think about this one?” my husband said.
To understand the distance we have traveled mentally and psychologically, you need to know that when we talked of selling our home and moving to Oregon, we spoke often about taking a Wanderjahr — a year of exploring places new and old. We thought about train trips as well as car and plane destinations. We weren’t being completely unrealistic. We both write and so we discussed renting a place for a month, settling in to write, and then moving on, repeating the process 12 times. Our family was supportive and frequently inquired how our plans for the wander year were progressing.
Since we had no idea how long it would take to sell our lovely home, we were content to postpone specific plans until it sold. Then it sold in a flurry, actually selling twice within ten days — the second time a backup offer that became activated when the first buyer’s financing became wobbly. Then the buyers wanted a fast close and we barely had time to get the moving company in between two previously planned trips, one to conduct a Writing Alchemy workshop at the Association of Personal Historians Conference in Victoria, BC and a second to help my sister-in-law celebrate her 80th birthday. Suddenly, we had sold our home and packed and were on our way to Oregon.
As we drove, we discussed a year of traveling. Could we do it? Would we do it? Wouldn’t it be fun to be nomads for a year? We were raised in the era when one assumed responsibilities at a fairly young age (marriage, children, home, career) and never looked back nor took time off. We have even returned from vacations early when work beckoned.
I thought it might be fun to stay in a hotel in Corvallis for a few weeks while we decided what to do. Meanwhile, reality began to push out such frivolous thoughts. We have all of our household belongings in storage and are paying a monthly fee. We have those 10 boxes that UPS is delivering on Monday to our son’s home. He doesn’t have room to store them. And strongest of all, we find we don’t know how to behave without a home base. Sure, we turn on our computers in the hotel room and work. But we are each used to our separate studies.
Yesterday, we spent the afternoon driving about to look at possible homes to buy — this after we had declared to each other and to friends that we fully intended to rent for a year. Of course, even if we found the perfect place to buy, it would be a month before the close.
“Well, do you think we can feel at home here?”
Today we went out and signed the paperwork for a fully-furnished short-term rental townhouse. Can you believe it? We haven’t even been gone for a week and we already feel the need to be settled.
I should have called this blog: The Short-Lived Life as a Nomad.
We move in tomorrow. There are enough bedrooms that we can each have a study. There is a garage so we can store our 10 boxes and dip into them as needed. We’ll continue to look for a home and will buy something when we find the right one. This is a gigantic surprise to us.
How do I feel? A little disappointed. It’s hard to accept that we can’t even be free for a week. Yet, it seems the right thing to do. We just need to learn that we can travel once we are settled. Stay tuned.
-Matilda
For previous memoir blogs about our transition from California to Oregon:
Memoir: Day 4 of Life’s New Adventure – A Moveable Feast
Memoir: Day 3 of Life’s New Adventure – Ours versus Theirs
Memoir: Day 2 of Life’s New Adventure – The Realization
Memoir Writing Prompt: Day 1 of Life’s New Adventure
