Whenever One Door Closes…

This week I sold the first home I ever purchased.  I bought the condo when I moved to Colorado a decade ago.  It signified so much to me – independence, a new start closer to my family, and a source of pride in knowing that I was living the American dream of home ownership.  So it was with a heavy heart that I walked into the closing and signed the title over to a new set of owners.

Anyone who knows me well has spent a night on the pullout couch at 1438 Little Raven.  It was a gathering place not only for holidays and sporting events but also for gossip sessions on the balcony over wine and cheese.  It felt like a part of me.

But now I am older and I live in the suburbs with my husband, dog and two kids.  The economic realities of owning a condo in a city with so much growth and so many new buildings hit us hard.  And after a lot of soul searching my husband and I decided it was best to sell now.  It took only two weeks and this part of my life was under contract to someone else.  It was emotional.

I secretly planned to relive my 20’s by going out with some friends and spending a last night in the condo before the deal was final.  Then I was sent away for work and missed the big outing.  I never even stepped foot inside of my condo again.

This week as I sat across from the new owner at the closing table I had a million things swirling through my head.  The condo was purchased by a trust so I had assumed it was just an investment to the new owners.  When I learned that they intended to live there and make it into a home I felt relieved.  They promised that their couch would always be full of visitors, that they loved the bird’s nest in the tree outside and looked forward to nights outside on the balcony, and that they would take good care of the place I had loved so much.  I breathed a sigh of relief.

To quote my favorite song – “Whenever one door closes I hope one more opens” and I am finally ready to open the door to the next chapter of my life.