Looking Back, looking forward

RE Barbara King’s “Moving Onward Means Leaving a Complete Life Behind” (Aug.28): I live in Michigan, have worked the same job for the last eight years and have owned my own home for four years now. Buying my house was a huge accomplishment for me. It was a bit of a fixer-upper that looks pretty darn cute now, I must say. I filled it with antiques and flea-market finds to create a cozy little nook for me and my Labrador. I love my house, my yard and my street. I have also always dreamed of moving to California. A new life in the sun and sand. With my life in a rut, the boredom seeps in and I need a change. Could I possibly give up my house to follow a dream 3,000 miles away? The thought of re-moving my life and all its belongings from this house brings tears to my eyes. It’s something I don’t like to think about until I read Barbara King’s article. She expressed my sentiments exactly, better than I ever could. She said everything I feel or hope to feel. Stumbling upon her article was a much-needed shot in the arm to let my attachment of this house go. It is hard to move on, even when you want to. The grief is real but that doesn’t mean I cannot take all the memories and good things I experienced here on to my next home, my next life. I was happy here, and I will be happy in the next place too. Right?

Carleen O’Brien

Redford, Mich.