I’ve been considering leaving my home since 2008, but I always decide to stay. Will 2013 be the year I finally go?
I love my home here in Happy Camp, but I’ve been wanting to move elsewhere since 2008. I am emotionally divided on this.
In favor of leaving: I’ve been here 12+1/2 years and would like to live in other places. All my life I’ve moved around a lot. This is the longest I’ve been anywhere… which shows how much I like this place. But for a person accustomed to a change of scenery, 12+1/2 years is a long time to stay in one place.
In favor of staying: I have pets that are in their comfort zone here, and so many bills to pay, and a van that isn’t working right. I can’t leave until I pay down some debt and get a new van. (I love vans, apparently.)
In favor of leaving: As much as I love Happy Camp, I’m day-dreaming constantly about living elsewhere. I also have to admit, the fact of a forest fire entering people’s yards in Seiad Valley earlier this year, is also a huge reminder of how fragile our stay in the forest can be.
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In favor of staying: I love our drum circle and writer’s club and Dear Mad’m Day activities here. I really am surrounded by friends. They had a special celebration of my birthday in July. How can I leave these guys who I love so much?
In favor of leaving: I would be closer to my family, and would live next to a lake I could float around on (in my Sevylor raft, or in a kayak, or stand up paddleboarding) … and there are trails to hike, and during winter, a lot of ski resorts. Real libraries… meaning LOTS of books, not just a small collection like we have here in a tiny building. OMG… how I would love to live near a large library!
In favor of staying: Well, honestly, I’m not going anywhere right away. The power of inertia has me in its grasp. And I can’t afford to go right now. But I’m thinking of it. I’ve been thinking of it since my youngest child moved out, in 2008. Unfortunately, that year the recession started and I lost my job. I decided I had no choice but to stay and develop some kind of financial stability.
In favor of leaving: This is a three bedroom cabin/house, with a huge yard, and that’s a bit much for a woman in her sixties to take care of. FYI – I had my sixtieth birthday in July. I no longer want to have a vegetable garden… I kind of lost an appetite for it when the Fukushima thing happened and sent so much radiation into our area of Northern California.
I could go on like this for hours… the bottom line is, that I think I’m closer to leaving than before. I think that perhaps 2013 will be the year it happens. But for now, I’m not in any hurry to go.
I got a storage space in downtown Happy Camp because I know they’re hard to get, and I wanted to do it while I could. I will fill it with my books (I have hundreds) and non-necessary items, but I’m not planning to move right away.
I might as well stay and get on with that house creativity I was planning just last week.
UPDATE: I moved on June 30, 2013. Here’s why:
What Really Happened When I Left Happy Camp and Moved to Idaho
[…] back in this memoir. I tried to leave because after thirteen years of living in Happy Camp I wanted to live out in civilization again. The town of Happy Camp is beautiful in many ways, but it is far from large stores and other […]