Crossroads, Part 2: The Decision

Not too long ago, I published a piece about coming to a new crossroads in my life. I've faced myself with making the decision on whether or not to give up my house on Long Island and move to New York City, something I've always wanted to do, but never had the opportunity...until now. Having given myself until year's end to come to a decision, I can say now with certainty that I'm going to go for it.

I've spoken of the reasons for making such a move: the expense at owning a home alone, living gay and single in suburbia, the land of the family, and longing for some change in my life for many reasons. Though I hated Long Island when I first moved here, I've grown to love it in many ways. It really is such a beautiful place, especially during the summer, and living here still affords me a lot of things, and its proximity to the city adds to the niceties of living here. But my heart is no longer here... I will miss Long Island, but I need this change.

Of course I don't know for sure if New York City is where I'll find what I'm looking for. I already know that moving there will not be all I expect it to be. I must accept and expect that from the get go. I'm sure that many lonely nights lie ahead of me, even amongst the hustle and bustle of all of those people. Hopefully, though, I'll have the strength to get through the initial loneliness and find whatever it is I'm hoping to find. I'm scared and excited all at the same time.

Making a move such as this one will not be easy, that's for sure. I've got three big obstacles ahead of me before I can make such a move. First off, I've got to sell my house, which these days I know is not easy. Next I need to find a new job, another daunting task. Finally, once the first two things are taken care of, I must find a place to live. I have to tackle these things one at a time, in this order, and hope for the best.

Selling my house is where I need to start. There are a lot of complexities involved in selling a house, ones which I avoided when I decided to buy it out from Jay. I have a history of making bad decisions in life and I now see that this was the latest of them. I can't change what's past and so I can only look forward and hope it goes well.

My house is an old one, built in 1929. It's very charming and has a lot of character, but as with any old house, it also needs work. My first step is going to be to contact a real estate agent for suggestions on what I need to do to put it out there to make it marketable. Of course, money's always an issue, and I'm not sure what I can afford to do to make it sellable, but only time will tell.

So I hope you'll join me as I go through this process. As with many series I've published in the past, I do so as a means of sharing my experiences in order to help others who find themselves in similar situations. It also helps me to think things through. Stay tuned...

For the introduction to this series, please click here.