3 bedrooms, one bath, and one melancholy owner. Amenities include several new windows, one of which was replaced very recently due to a baseball shaped hole put there by a future major league pitcher. A fully carpeted flight of stairs which are capable of withstanding the tumbling of an 11 month old child without inflicting a single scratch on either of them. A beautiful deck built in the hot, summer sun which has hosted countless cookouts and quiet nights with a glass of wine. Walls that don’t talk, but that do contain countless words of wisdom, written on them by tiny hands, that would tell a story if they hadn’t been hidden by a few coats of paint. The large picture window in the living room features a spot centered directly in front of it that is just right for a Christmas tree. The plush, royal blue carpet in the living room is perfect for being strewn with wrapping paper and presents. I have finally sold my house and as I sit here looking around at the big, wooden box that has contained my life for the last 13 years I can feel the ghosts of those memories in each and every room. Sadly those ghosts seem to be living things which will stay in this house as I move on. I wonder, when I move into the new home I’m buying, will I sense the ghosts of someone else’s life wandering those hallways? Although a house is just wood, steel, and mortar, when filled with memories it seems to be a living part of you. It is the place that has provided my physical and emotional security for most of my adult life. My children have never known another home and I’ve never known them in another home. Gone will be the familiarity of knowing which step to avoid if you don’t want that loud squeak as you descend in the middle of a sleepless night. The 6th sense to instinctively avoid the sharp edge on the corner of the wall in the basement will no longer be there. No longer will I habitually know which door will need me to push down slightly as I pull it open to avoid sticking. I wonder, when I’m gone, will my house miss me as much as I will miss it?
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I lived in 9 houses before my 10th birthday….since then, I have lived in 3 other houses with parents, 5 without them, and myself have moved 5 more times in the past 12 months. My goal in life is to find a house like yours. One that I can fill with memories, and be happy there forever.
Wow, Phil, this was beautiful and emotional. You have the ability to be funny and sensitive. I hope your new home will soon be full of new memories your family will create there
Phil..who knew you had a sensitive side? I’m just teasing. We moved a lot growing up…I attended 12 different schools by the time I graduated…so there were always new houses but I was a very sentimental kid. It made me sad to leave so I’d write little notes about myself for anyone who bought the house next and I’d hide them in random places…just to leave something behind.
Wow. You made me remember so much about my childhood home. Thank you.I hope you are uber happy in your new place.
I feel fortunate to have such a stable life compared others. At 42, i have lived in a total of 6 houses! The current, for 16 years. Just think of it as a new part of your life, full of new memories to make, and think of how much fun your boys will have!
I do believe we leave an imprint in every place we visit…or at least places we visit that mean something to us. When I was in a long distance relationship from FL to NYC, my ex told me after the first time I went over there that when I left, there was a ghost of me in his apartment. Does that make sense?-N