When Debbie and I bought the condo in Hot Springs we had a five year plan. It would be our weekend getaway and vacation place. After five years we would sell our house in Benton and move to the lake. Well, we all know about the best laid plans of mice and men. We fell in love with everything about it. The tiny space, about 640 square feet, challenged us to find just the right balance of furniture placement for maximum utility. It was like decorating a doll house.
As spring gave way to summer we met the other owners. It was a perpetual party every weekend. Fish frys sprang up from nowhere, each of us contributing something to the meal. We fished, we swam, we floated around the lake on party barges. Most of us in our building are early morning people. By 6:00 or 6:30 a.m. we're on the porch drinking coffee and watching the sunrise. Evenings we watch the sunset. How could it be better?
Every Friday afternoon Debbie and I raced from work to the condo. We didn't even stop at the house first. Every Sunday afternoon we'd reluctantly go home. Then we started taking clothes for work so we could stay until Monday morning. If we didn't have work clothes with us and decided to stay we went to the mall and bought new ones. Debbie started coming over one night during the week. Then I started doing it. We were addicts!
The house in Benton began looking neglected because it was. I resented the attention it demanded. Our beautiful yard grew into chaos. I paid my nephew to keep it mowed so it didn't look abandoned.
In December 2005 the other shoe dropped. Dr. Suen told me that I had a tumor on the right side of my neck. That meant the cancer was moving. That meant so was I. I told Debbie that I wanted to change our plan. It was time to sell our house, our home for 15 years, and move to the lake. We were both a little shell shocked and it's a bad idea to make big decisions during times of stress but this time I knew I was right. I couldn't deal with two households and a recurrence. One I could control, the other I couldn't. Debbie agreed and by Christmas we were settled into our tiny nest on the lake. The move caused quite a stir among family and friends but, for us, it was the right thing to do.
As spring gave way to summer we met the other owners. It was a perpetual party every weekend. Fish frys sprang up from nowhere, each of us contributing something to the meal. We fished, we swam, we floated around the lake on party barges. Most of us in our building are early morning people. By 6:00 or 6:30 a.m. we're on the porch drinking coffee and watching the sunrise. Evenings we watch the sunset. How could it be better?
Every Friday afternoon Debbie and I raced from work to the condo. We didn't even stop at the house first. Every Sunday afternoon we'd reluctantly go home. Then we started taking clothes for work so we could stay until Monday morning. If we didn't have work clothes with us and decided to stay we went to the mall and bought new ones. Debbie started coming over one night during the week. Then I started doing it. We were addicts!
The house in Benton began looking neglected because it was. I resented the attention it demanded. Our beautiful yard grew into chaos. I paid my nephew to keep it mowed so it didn't look abandoned.
In December 2005 the other shoe dropped. Dr. Suen told me that I had a tumor on the right side of my neck. That meant the cancer was moving. That meant so was I. I told Debbie that I wanted to change our plan. It was time to sell our house, our home for 15 years, and move to the lake. We were both a little shell shocked and it's a bad idea to make big decisions during times of stress but this time I knew I was right. I couldn't deal with two households and a recurrence. One I could control, the other I couldn't. Debbie agreed and by Christmas we were settled into our tiny nest on the lake. The move caused quite a stir among family and friends but, for us, it was the right thing to do.
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