November 2025

I have been busy with new and old things. For one, my spouse and I are trying to upgrade to a better townhouse for our family. More bathrooms, on a quieter street, closer to our younger kid’s school, which she’ll be in a lot longer than our older kid in his school. Where have the years gone? There would be a lot of benefits to this move. But someone must buy our current home first. That is the only thing standing in our way. We have done all the other leg, and all the other arm, work. It’s been quite the workout. I do recognize how fortunate we are to even be in the position that we are in. I do not take that for granted. But I am tired of living in a staged home with no personal photos on the walls. I am tired of living in limbo. One would think as a writer of many years that I would be used to the waiting game. Nope. I am feeling impatient.

On the bright side, while we wait to find out if we can move to our dream home — emphasis on the word “our,” as our dream home is not the same as your dream home, just as our normal is not your normal — I have been having a lot of fun with floor plans. As a wannabee interior-design-hobbyist, I’ve been sketching and planning out how exactly we would arrange our furniture in the new space. I took a lot of measurements around things like heaters last time we were at our potential new home. I want to find ways to optimize flow and best support my family’s lifestyle, current and in the not-too-distant future. Again, where have the years gone? I also dream of some new furniture and art pieces to collect over time to further support this vision. I want more for my family, and I want more for me.

I went from thinking of our current home as our forever home to — “thank you, current home, for your time, but it is time for your next family, and where the heck are they already?” — in a very short span of time. While truly this feeling has been building for a while, in the moment of recognition it felt like a light switch. Like I finally saw the wall of shadows for what it was. Like I took a bite from the apple and cannot go back. There is so much more out there. And so, my family and I have embarked on this trying-for-a-better-home adventure, and I’d like to think I know where we will end up. But the truth is that I do not. And that is the same with my writing journey. I do not know where I will end up. But I have hope. And I will try. Because I want more. For me. And for you.