Have you ever come across something and just knew that it was meant for you? Ever felt a pull so strong to something, that you felt you could never let go of it or live without it? That's how I felt the first time I set foot in this house. It was love at first site. Sure, it needed some TLC and a lot of work, but it just felt like home. It's where I belonged. Clear a few trees here; cut a few shrubs there; build a couple of sheds over there; flower gardens there, there and there. New windows and doors, new siding, new roofs, some paint (a lot of paint), and it would be good as new.
Fast forward two years...my husband's accident last fall left him partially paralyzed from the waist down and unable to do what he used to do - the hard stuff, the digging, the clearing, the chopping, the rebuilding...we had only begun to scratch the surface of resurrecting this property to a more vibrant state. Now, we're at a crossroad - do we stay, or do we go?
Staying would mean extensive renovations and modifications to the house to make it accessible for someone with such a disability. It would mean additions, and elevators and regrading and wheel chair lifts. My husband not having access to the loft (which has the best view), but at least he would be able to access all other floors with the addition of an elevator.
Moving elsewhere would have its own costs. We'd have to find a place that was suitable for our family and accessible for my husband, and would likely be faced with renovations and modifications there as well. It would mean giving up acres of ravine property with spectacular views, right in town, close to our friends and the kids' school. It would mean giving up a country setting lifestyle we had always wanted. It would mean giving up the dream of breathing life back into Ridgeview, and making it a place that draws people and wildlife (like it did to me the first time I saw it).
How can one become so attached to a thing in so little time? It's just a piece of land, just a building. Everyone knows that home is where the heart is, so why should it matter where we live. As I sit watching the full moon out the loft window, and feel its pull, it reminds me...some things just cannot be explained, they can only be experienced.
Fast forward two years...my husband's accident last fall left him partially paralyzed from the waist down and unable to do what he used to do - the hard stuff, the digging, the clearing, the chopping, the rebuilding...we had only begun to scratch the surface of resurrecting this property to a more vibrant state. Now, we're at a crossroad - do we stay, or do we go?
