The other day I told a friend, "I think this is the happiest I have ever been." It hadn't really occurred to me until the words came out of my mouth but as soon as I said it I realized it was true. Things are good. Really good. I am surpassing the goals I set for my business in its first full year, I am busy doing what I love, I feel healthy, I feel fulfilled by my relationships, and I am excited for what's to come.
Jeffery and I are saving to buy a home. We are going to start house hunting in January and hope to move by June. We have decided to relocate to Nevada County. Although we love the Bay Area, we can't get what we want here. We want land and to grow our own food. We want a yard for our dog, a clothesline to dry our clothes, space to grow. Grass Valley is where some of our favorite people are, and every time we leave and come back to Oakland it feels like we're leaving something behind. These are the people we want to have weekly dinners with, to go hiking and on camping trips with, and to raise our kids with. Now I can't imagine settling down anywhere else.
A while ago I had a conversation with my dad about happiness and it left an impression on me. He told me that the one area he feels lacking in is male friendships. Friends outside of work or soccer or friends that aren't part of a couple that he socializes with with my mom. He doesn't have enough good guys friends he can go get a beer with. Every time my parents have moved, they have moved away from his friends. And men just have a harder time making new ones. I feel really good about moving to a place where Jeffery's best friends live and are established. And it certainly doesn't hurt that they've all married AMAZING women.
Knowing where we want to be and working towards it together makes everything better. It makes the water damage in our living room better and our broken toilet better. It makes obnoxious neighbors better. We don't know how long it is going to take, but we are ready to enter this new chapter. And I know it's going to be hard. And I know that once we move there will be new challenges, and we may be less happy at first. But the main thing contributing to my current level of happiness is that we have a plan. And I feel really good about it.