We have decided to move to a little town in East Texas called Onalaska. I know you know where that is. Our immediate task is to sell our existing home in Arlington, TX.
I thought that I could remain somewhat detached during this process, but I fear that I'm going to turn into a big old crybaby before the deed is done.
We had this house built in 1996, and have lived in it since then. When we moved in Kid 1 was 10, Kid 2 was seven, and Kid 3 was three years old. Those are prime memory making ages, as all parents know.
The very first day in the house, while we were still moving in, in fact, Kid 3 squired Elmers Glue all over her new carpet. We weren't even finished unloading the truck yet! Rather than being mad, though, my wife and I just laughed. It was exactly like discovering that first ding in your brand new car; the suspense was over.
In any case this morning we had a man over to take a look at the house to try to determine how much it might be worth. As we were giving him the grand tour I was overwhelmed with memories in each room. The memories were mostly just of everyday stuff, but they all combined to transform a structure of brick and wood into an actual home. Very powerful stuff.
That doesn't happen overnight, of course. The memories build slowly, but steadily, over time until the sterile house that we move into becomes a home; a place where each room, each wall has a story to tell.
Anyone who says that they can sell their house without some sort of emotional turmoil is either lying or is a robot. The emotions may be good, or they may be bad, but they will be there. Emotional attachments to inanimate objects are one of the peculiarities of our makeup that separate us from other critters.
Did you point out the pink stain on the kitchen tile from kid 3? That memory was priceless!
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