Dateline: SWA flights from Indy to BWI and on to Providence, 19 May, 2005
We made a decision to sell our house and tie that date to our departure from Rhode Island. Once those commitments were made, pathway dependencies were hatched. We either rolled with those decisions and embraced the necessary choices that followed or we got all panicky and turned on one another.
Okay, we did a bit of the latter, but as our realtor in Indy said, "You two have taught me a great deal about what real flexibility is in life."
How did we do this? Simply by adjusting our expectations rapidly each and every time we ran into data that did not support our assumptions or then-stated desires. We didn't get stubborn, nor did we persist to see or want things that simply were not there.
We wanted a certain pace of life, and that led us to south of Indy. We wanted a certain Catholic school capacity, combined with high-end public school reputation (just as a back-up and thinking of resale down the road). Given those goals, we didn't stick long with our plan for the several acres and the old farmhouse, because they did not exist. Once we were exposed to enough houses, we decided the best option was a certain builder. Then it became a matter of finding the plot. Once we saw the timeline on that effort become more clear to us, we abandoned the house rental option and chose an apartment. That meant storage, so that was lined up as well.
We started with a certain set of desires and ended up with a completely different package which met the macro criteria of success. Thrilling but exhausting, but once you see the pathways unfold, you accept your choices, adjust your expectations, and demonstrate the flexibility required to get the job done.
Here's the catch:
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■ To connect to globalization is to accept change
■ The so-so and wrong ways to let energy drive connectivity
■ Kim Jong Il is no shrinking violet, meanwhile his people simply shrink
■ Science and math as the fastest personal pathways toward connectivity
■ Durham NC after tobacco? Fat chance!