The author Joan Didion once said " I don't know what I think until I write it down". This quote resonated with me the first time I heard it. Much of my processing of life comes to me on the page. I am here on this page right now because I don't know what to think.
Joseph has been increasingly unhappy with his job so when he was recruited by a company in Houston he went along with it to get his feet wet and feel out some of the other options. Talking with the company turned into an interview, an interview turned into a job offer, and the job offer was too good to simply dismiss based on location.
We've been in Tennessee for five years this June. We own two homes and five acres of land. We have attracted a fair amount of our siblings to this place. We have labored on our land and planted things that will be with us for years to come: apple trees, asparagus, raspberries, blueberries, crepe myrtles, a dogwood tree, blackberries, and rose bushes. I've established a perennial herb garden in my front bed and transformed the garden bed outside my front door. What was once white rocks and rose bushes is now a lush bed of roses, mints, irises, and borage. We have put down roots literally and figuratively.
When commuting to Nashville from the farm became too burdensome we got an apartment in the city. Eventually we replaced the apartment with a condo we purchased. We've been spending week days in the city and weekends and holidays in the country for about two years now. I love the quirky life we have carved out for ourself. Tennessee has become my home in a way I could not have imagined. I went from a wanderer who couldn't keep an address long enough for my great aunts to keep track of, to a Tennesseean. I never imagined a life for myself in the south but now I can't imagine any other.
And then we got the job offer from Houston. Houston is the fourth largest city in the U.S. with over two million residents. It's also incredibly geographically large and sprawly. It's about five hours from Mexico, an hour from the gulf of Mexico, and 12 hours from home. When I asked my neighbor Mike what he thought of Houston, he told me "It's the hottest place on earth". I'm not sure if that's true but my brother in law lives there now and has verified that it's quite hot and very humid. I've also met someone who likes Houston, and I'm sure it has a lot to offer being a big city and all. Also, depending on who you ask, Texas is kind of like a different country, so that's interesting. When I traveled to Australia and New Zealand last winter and met people who wanted to see the United States, Texas was frequently mentioned as a destination location. I still haven't figured out why, but I guess there is something intriguing about Texas.
But that's not the point. The point is that I'm not in the market to move. We've established a perfect little existence here. Or almost perfect. But we both need to be happy in our careers. And the new job is a really good opportunity. What if we don't take it and the company becomes the next Amazon? Wouldn't we feel stupid.
We decided to go for it. But we also decided to keep things weird. We're not selling our house. My sister will hold down the fort here. We're not renting the condo because I need it for late work nights and for commuting to the site of my research project. In fact, I'm not actually moving for at least six months and Joseph negotiated a situation where he works from Tennessee for a week and two weekends per month. I'll go to Houston once a month or so for a long weekend, or the occasional week.
And that's the plan for now. We'll reevaluate next year and decide what the next step is. I'm trying to tap into the adventurous nomad in me but she hasn't been fully stimulated in a while. I've gotten very comfortable where I am. So, I'm breaking into the change slowly and thinking of Houston as a third home. A home where I can legally drive 85mph on the highway!
I think we'll be ok. What I'm looking forward more than Houston itself is all the little treks I will take getting there. I envision myself, in my little square car, with two dogs and maybe a cat, trekking from Tennessee through Alabama, Mississippi, and Louisiana to Texas with an overnight in the Big Easy, my favorite city. On the way home I can take the "northern" route, up through Texarkana, to Tulsa, and back home via Arkansas and Memphis. I'll stay with an old friend in Tulsa for my halfway point on that route. These trips will inevitably make for some very good blogging. After all, I agree with the writer Ralph Waldo Emerson who said, "life is a journey, not a destination".
Joseph has been increasingly unhappy with his job so when he was recruited by a company in Houston he went along with it to get his feet wet and feel out some of the other options. Talking with the company turned into an interview, an interview turned into a job offer, and the job offer was too good to simply dismiss based on location.
We've been in Tennessee for five years this June. We own two homes and five acres of land. We have attracted a fair amount of our siblings to this place. We have labored on our land and planted things that will be with us for years to come: apple trees, asparagus, raspberries, blueberries, crepe myrtles, a dogwood tree, blackberries, and rose bushes. I've established a perennial herb garden in my front bed and transformed the garden bed outside my front door. What was once white rocks and rose bushes is now a lush bed of roses, mints, irises, and borage. We have put down roots literally and figuratively.
 |
| The three stars on the TN flag stand for Middle, West, and East Tennessee. |
When commuting to Nashville from the farm became too burdensome we got an apartment in the city. Eventually we replaced the apartment with a condo we purchased. We've been spending week days in the city and weekends and holidays in the country for about two years now. I love the quirky life we have carved out for ourself. Tennessee has become my home in a way I could not have imagined. I went from a wanderer who couldn't keep an address long enough for my great aunts to keep track of, to a Tennesseean. I never imagined a life for myself in the south but now I can't imagine any other.
And then we got the job offer from Houston. Houston is the fourth largest city in the U.S. with over two million residents. It's also incredibly geographically large and sprawly. It's about five hours from Mexico, an hour from the gulf of Mexico, and 12 hours from home. When I asked my neighbor Mike what he thought of Houston, he told me "It's the hottest place on earth". I'm not sure if that's true but my brother in law lives there now and has verified that it's quite hot and very humid. I've also met someone who likes Houston, and I'm sure it has a lot to offer being a big city and all. Also, depending on who you ask, Texas is kind of like a different country, so that's interesting. When I traveled to Australia and New Zealand last winter and met people who wanted to see the United States, Texas was frequently mentioned as a destination location. I still haven't figured out why, but I guess there is something intriguing about Texas.
But that's not the point. The point is that I'm not in the market to move. We've established a perfect little existence here. Or almost perfect. But we both need to be happy in our careers. And the new job is a really good opportunity. What if we don't take it and the company becomes the next Amazon? Wouldn't we feel stupid.
We decided to go for it. But we also decided to keep things weird. We're not selling our house. My sister will hold down the fort here. We're not renting the condo because I need it for late work nights and for commuting to the site of my research project. In fact, I'm not actually moving for at least six months and Joseph negotiated a situation where he works from Tennessee for a week and two weekends per month. I'll go to Houston once a month or so for a long weekend, or the occasional week.
 |
| I've got cowboy boots, will I need a pair of these as well? |
And that's the plan for now. We'll reevaluate next year and decide what the next step is. I'm trying to tap into the adventurous nomad in me but she hasn't been fully stimulated in a while. I've gotten very comfortable where I am. So, I'm breaking into the change slowly and thinking of Houston as a third home. A home where I can legally drive 85mph on the highway!
 |
| This picture came from an article that talked about the money Houston has been pouring into green spaces. Here's hoping. |
I think we'll be ok. What I'm looking forward more than Houston itself is all the little treks I will take getting there. I envision myself, in my little square car, with two dogs and maybe a cat, trekking from Tennessee through Alabama, Mississippi, and Louisiana to Texas with an overnight in the Big Easy, my favorite city. On the way home I can take the "northern" route, up through Texarkana, to Tulsa, and back home via Arkansas and Memphis. I'll stay with an old friend in Tulsa for my halfway point on that route. These trips will inevitably make for some very good blogging. After all, I agree with the writer Ralph Waldo Emerson who said, "life is a journey, not a destination".
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