Enter the Grace.

Sometimes, the world seems to be a capricious place, where one person's home goes up in flames and another's is barely touched.

I've heard it said that the way you respond to a situation is the situation. 

We often rail against how unfair life can be.  And sometimes, I'm finding, accepting good fortune can be almost as stressful as discovering you've been dealt a lousy hand. 

Why do we find it so unbelievable when things fall into place neatly, harmoniously, easily and joyfully?  (Or maybe it's just us dour Capricorns who have that problem.)  Shouldn't it always be this way?  In the best of all possible worlds, that is?

What, you may ask, am I talking about?

Well . . .

Last summer, Craig and I started talking seriously about moving off the island.  At first, I cried for three days.  Long time readers of this blog know how much I love this Place.  It has been a gift and a grace to live here. 

But things change, don't they?  Needs change, circumstances change.  When you're in a partnership you both have to give and take; you don't get to take only your own needs into consideration. When Craig and I moved here, we agreed that we would not want to commute to town from the island every day, although many people do.  But that wasn't for us.   

We've both been working from home all these years, but now Craig's work has shifted to town.  And so we had to face the issue of moving off the island. 

After my initial grieving process (how can I leave my home?  my friends here? my garden?  the beach?  the woods?  the herons?  the kingfishers? and on and on and on) . . . I started to think about all the positive things about moving to town.  No more long waits in the ferry line then driving 30 miles to town.  No more missing events in town because it's too far and cumbersome to get there.  Smaller gas bills.  Less use of the car.  Closer to most of my mermaid sisters.   Closer to my favorite market and bookstore. Downsizing; buying a smaller house, getting rid of at least half of my "stuff."  Less house to heat, to clean, to pay taxes on. 

Simplifying.

So I started obsessively monitoring the real estate market in town.  What was available, and for how much?   Craig and I spent many Sundays visiting different neighborhoods, trying them on for size.  This one's too new, that one's too suburban, this one feels too Republican (McMansions and giant SUV's in the driveway). Ah, that one, yeah we like that neighborhood but it's out of our price range, and houses rarely come up for sale there anyway. We wanted privacy and community too, a neighborhood where we know our neighbors and like them.  (The island has spoiled me for that.)  We wanted a country-in-the-city feel.  Private and green, but not isolated. And not too far out into the county.

And the house?   I told Craig that I had to love the house.  Not just like it.  Had to l-o-v-e it.  It had to have charm and not be some soulless tract house. It had to be a place, that when I walked in, it made me feel good.  Peaceful. Serene. Happy. 

Since I live and work at home, it has to be a special place. 

After going to a few open houses, I got even more clear about what I wanted and didn't want.  I made a list of priorities.  I realized that the most important room in the house to me was a big-enough, beautiful space for my studio.  I care more about that than the kitchen or the bathroom.  I also wanted a garden or outside area that had mature trees and foliage, where I could work outside in the summer.  And there needed to be an outbuilding that Craig could convert into an office/studio, or a place to build one.

So I set my intention, in my mind and in my heart, and in magical space as well. And I spoke my assurance out loud:  "I know the perfect home is waiting for us, at the perfect price and the perfect time."  That became my mantra.  In my mind, I assumed the perfect time would be next spring or summer, but I kept looking anyway.

One day last week, I decided to look on Craigslist (nice name, that) for real estate, which I had never done before.  Can't even remember why I looked there.  My eye was caught by a listing that read "Hand-crafted charm in a park-like setting . . ." When I read the blurb, I realized the location was my second-choice neighborhood.  The photos of the place were gorgeous.  The owner presented himself as being motivated to sell.  Too bad, I thought, that the timing isn't right.  We already own two houses.  We can't buy a third until we sell one of the ones we already have and neither is ready to go on the market.  (Craig needs a couple of months to finish rehabbing the old Victorian he's been working on.)

I kept returning to the listing for the next few days and finally decided to email the owner, just for the heck of it, and asked if we could see the house even though we would not be in a position to purchase for several months. He wrote back immediately and invited us to see the house that weekend.

We went, and it was love at first sight.  Literally.  The house is a 70's split-level from the outside that's been extensively remodeled on the inside over the past 20 years. The family that lived there were artists and they made built-in bookshelves and cabinets, laid oak floors and ceramic tile and special touches everywhere.  A much loved house. The library/den is perfect for my studio.   The lot is a third of an acre that backs up to parkland and beyond that the woods that are protected as part of the watershed.  Power is already available in the very back of the lot where Craig can build a small studio.  There are even little cat corridors in every room of the house, just waiting for our two cats!

It isn't perfect; the kitchen is long and narrow and could use more counter space. The bedrooms are average.  But the rest — oh the rest!  It met or exceeded every item on my list.

Then, we thought;  too bad the timing is off.  It can't possibly still be on the market in a few months when we're ready to buy. 

Enter Providence.  Enter Synchronicity.  Enter the Grace.

We made an appointment with the owner to talk about what might be possible. He presented himself as being willing to be creative with terms.  I asked both my Mermaid circle and my Silver Grove circle to hold us in magical space for the best possible outcome when we met with him. I am still partly in shock at what an easy, harmonious process it was to negotiate with him. He offered us extremely generous terms and made it possible for us to buy the house now, with the closing to occur in one year or sooner.  And — he is thrilled to have found an artist and musician who love his house.  He invited us over for dinner next week.  He and his partner will be introducing us to all the neighbors too.

Oh. My. Goddess.

Unbelievable.

And yet — believe it.

Believe it.

The ease of our negotiations gives me a model for how to proceed when it's time to sell this house.  The people who buy this house will have to be very special . . . they will want a hand made house, a "green" straw bale house made with love, and will want to live the island lifestyle with all its joys and challenges. Last night when I couldn't sleep and lay there with the full moonlight streaming in, I started drawing them to me, these special people who will buy this home we have loved so much. Weaving the magic, already . . .  we have our timeframe and our schedule, but Goddess only knows She has Her own plans, does She not.  It is for us to trust.

Blessed, blessed, blessed be.

Update:  Cate asked for photos and here they are.

Comments

[Kim]

Indeed!

I'm so happy for you!

[Hecate]

Hail Hestia! I see her hand.

[Teresa Michelsen]

Congratulations, Joanna!! I find myself being jealous of both the house you found and the person who will buy your house :) Enjoy it! I'm monitoring real estate myself, trying to decide how/when to downsize. I know what I want now... and I know someday I'll find the perfect place. - Teresa

[Cate (KerrdeLune)]

Sister Joanna, so very happy for you, that you and Craig have found the perfect house in town at last. Will there be photos of it? I hope so.....

[joanna]

Thank you all!! Teresa, for you: the perfect home for the perfect price at the perfect time. So be it!

[Cynthia]

So mote it be.

This is just lovely! The walls of the studio are phenomenal. It looks like something I would manifest. In fact, I think this will server as inspiration for me.

[Ellen-Mary]

How marvelous! It is lovely.

[Corrine Kenner]

"Too Republican?"

Ouch.

I may need an extra green smoothie tomorrow to get over the pain.

[joanna]

Corrine, you are so funny. You are my favorite Republican. And I am looking forward to following the storyline of the Republican Witch!

[Cate (KerrdeLune)]

Beautiful, beautiful, beautiful, and I love the warmth and the wood. Sister Joanna, I am so happy for you! This is a hearth to sing about. Is there a guest room? Love and BB, Cate

[Waverly]

Joanna, it's beautiful. Congratulations!
I'm inspired by the ease with which you manifested this lovely sacred space.

[Kim]

Blessings on your new home and your new journey!