An Engaging Predicament

I've often referred to the suburbs as the purgatory of this world, a social limbo where life isn't too fast or too slow, too exciting or too dull, its just bland rice patties with tofu. For a long time I never thought I would be the one to willingly choose the 'burbs instead of an apartment in the city. Well, I didn't think I'd ever get married either. See how plans change.

Anyway, we are bidding on a house in Lombard. Its a modest bungalow, in need of some minor repairs, but a good deal if the seller could come down twenty grand. This is the closest Missy and I've ever come to actually staking a claim on some land (that chunk of air space in Oak Park doesn't count).

Now that we're so close I'm starting to see all those doors open to possibilities closing. Its kind of sad. I'll never live a couple blocks from a chic coffee shop where I would frequent for my morning java fix and nightly artistic craving. I won't buy a boat and live out on Lake Michigan maintaining nautical interests. I most likely won't be able to find the time to focus my efforts on writing a book or publishing my editorial cartoons or any other artistic endeavor I hoped to accomplish.

I'm not complaining, its just that for so long I asked myself, "is this what I should be doing?" And now I'll have no choice in the matter. When I was in high school I often thought that the people in socialist countries were lucky because they always had someone telling them what to do. Now I realize that having a set path to follow can make one feel claustrophobic. Nothing too major, just enough to make you appreciate those times when there were alternatives.

Despite my nostalgia for the past, I think that owning a home will be a great step forward for me. An adult life is a growing process, and I've been hibernating for too long. I think it is time for me to take on the responsibility of a house. Also I think Missy and I will do wonders to this house. She is very crafty and a hard worker.

All in all, I can never know for certain what doors are closing in my life. Only time will tell and even then it is most likely due to a lack of effort why a possibility is no longer feasible. So even more reason to use more of this energy I have pent up, only this time in a place I can call my own.