September 4, 2008 8:46 PM
An upside to the economic downturn
Readers who've been here a while know that our family's journey took a turn this summer when we realized after a couple years of not being able to sell our house that it would have to go into foreclosure. We'd been borrowing to make the payments and with the house losing value, it was getting ridiculous. Looking back, I see the fear of losing my house as a bondage. How good it feels to be free.
I love our rented house, though sometimes I chafe with being under the control of a landlord. We live in the country and have mice so we need a cat - but we had to get our landlord's permission. We picked out two little kittens at the Animal Shelter, but our landlord said no, we had to have only one cat over 1.5 years old.
At times like that, I turn to the Serenity Prayer:
Lord, help me to accept the things I cannot change,
the courage to change the things I can
and the wisdom to know the difference.
After a couple days of acceptance, I had to take Pippin to the vet for his shots, so I decided to ask the vet for advice. My idea was that it would be best to get two kittens because they would grow up and bond together and keep each other from wandering or being destructive. Getting an older cat, I felt, was asking for trouble - you know, they tend to be a little neurotic sometimes. The vet agreed with me.
So Trip and I have appealed to the landlord. Now we must wait for a reply while the Animal Shelter calls us daily to find out whether to release the kittens to someone else.
I really don't like being under someone else's control and haven't had to experience it for 20 years. But then again, I've changed enough in 20 years that I find it's a lot easier than it was when I was younger :)
And right now to have the economic stress removed makes it worth it.
And another thing: I am not completely sad about the economic downturn, though it certainly impacted our lives in a negative way. I'm not sad because the upside to the downturn is really exciting: people who can finally afford to buy houses for the first time. I have friends through this blog and in real life who are becoming first time homeowners and I am really excited for them. It is a wonderful feeling.
Funny how our life lessons stack up differently, tailored for each of us to fit our own particular needs. My daughter Samantha says that life is like a constant self-improvement course and that sometimes it seems like we're always getting pop quizzes.
This has been a good lesson for me - to see the larger picture. it's not just about me losing my house. It's about the economy being shaken up so prices can drop back down to earth, enabling younger families to begin building more security.
Yay for anyone out there celebrating their first home - or a home they couldn't have afforded before.
Posted in Current Affairs, My life | Permalink
Comments
As a young couple, my DH and I bought our first home in 1999 right before the market changed. We felt very blessed, especially when things changed right after and we realized that the timing had been in God's hands....If we had waited, we would not have been able to afford our home. Now we have some friends with 4 children who will finally be able to afford their first home as well. I am THRILLED.
Posted by: Lisa | September 4, 2008 9:22 PM
Yey!That's us! We were able to buy a house with more than an acre of land; just what we always wanted but could never afford before. We got this house seventy thousand dollars less than the original asking price.All because of the market and the economy. The house itself needed a little work, but nothing major; the yard alone is worth all the effort.
I also know this is a gift from God because two years ago I used to drive this way everyday, while going to school; every day I drove around here I remember saying something like "I wish I lived here" or "I take any house on this street" or "I wonder if we would ever be able to afford something like this" or even "God, would you please give us a house with a big yard, like the houses around here?"
And here we are now; we had to wait a while, but here we are.
But we have been where you are too; six years ago we sold our house so I could stay home and be a mom to my first born; two years later my husband started an apprenticeship and was making a lot less money; we knew God had orchestrated everything, because if we had not sold the house, he could not take that opportunity. So we have lived in an apartment for some years, but now we are here, enjoying the privacy of our own house and the freedom of our own private yard.
Your daughter is right: life is a self-improvement course. And it's also a ferris wheel. Sometimes you are down, sometimes you are up. But no matter where you are, the important thing is to enjoy the ride.
Or as the theme song for "Meet The Robinsons" says:
Our lives are made
In these small hours
These little wonders,
These twists & turns of fate
Time falls away,
But these small hours,
These small hours still remain.
Enjoy the ride momma, enjoy the ride!
Posted by: LadyLovas | September 4, 2008 11:00 PM
