Hey, good to see you again. Sit back, kick your shoes off and enjoy the story.

‘Isn’t it crazy’, he laughed. ‘Isn’t  it just wild?’

His eyes danced as he stood and gazed at the house. This house. Their house.

‘I can’t believe it’s ours.’ He laughed again.

Behind the house he could see the water of the lake lapping at the dock. Their first sun set would be spectacular. He smiled and put his arm over her shoulders. Life’s been unbelievable since finishing school. He thought back about their past years. They hadn’t always earned well, but he had enjoyed every minute.

He thought about the old car that had broken down regularly. More than once he had sat in that cold dead car at the side of the road waiting for the automobile club to save him. He laughed to himself. That had always been his best reading time.

He looked again behind the house at the lake. That’s where the children would swim and next to that, he knew, was the swing set and the big apple tree. They would enjoy living here.

Life was wonderful. He was successful and happy.

He thought fondly back to their old rental apartment. It was small, sure, but they had had great times there. He remembered the time they cooked lasagna for all their friends and had to eat in shifts because the kitchen only had room for 3 people. They even had to share plates because they only had 6 of them.

He smiled and looked at the house. They could cook lasagna for everybody now and would still have room to spare.

An image of the two of them cuddled on the couch in the old cramped living room on a long winter evening passed through his mind. They would sit drinking hot spiced wine, planning the future and talking about their lives.
Those were wonderful times and the times ahead of them would be special too.

He put his finger under her chin and kissed her lightly. ‘I’ll actually miss the old apartment.’

‘I was thinking the same’, she said. ‘We lived well there, and we’ll live well here too.’ She smiled contentedly.

They would be happy in the new house, he knew. But he also knew that it wasn’t the house that made them happy, but enjoying life and living every minute. That’s what made it all worth it. He realized that it wasn’t just about new houses or fast cars, but it was about every day. It was all about finding something worthwhile and special in every moment  – even when eating lasagna back to back in a small kitchen or sitting alone in your car by the side of the road.

Life was made up of such moments, and each had given him the stuff he needed to go on and succeed. Life didn’t begin with the purchase of the new house, or with the achievement of any goal for that matter. Life began with his first breath and he had been living it ever since. 

It was never a dress rehearsal, it was never waiting in line. Life was here, life was now, life was his to live and it had always been so. Achieving a goal is special, but getting there was half the fun. Working toward success made him realize that he had been there all the time.

But the house was great too and again he sighed and imagined the children playing on the swings behind the house.

Happy House Shopping
Lisa

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