[Freeda]

These are just some ideas that came to mind as I read the preceding posts and I related so much to them. These are just my thoughts, for whatever they are worth to those who are trying to figure out their next move; and my views, I know, won't apply to or work for everyone. I remember how anxious I was when we were considering what to do about making the big move and changing our lives in such a huge way by moving to TV, and the feeling of wanting to make sure we weren't making a 'mistake'.

My perspective was influenced by a number of unexpected tragedies that happened to my loved ones, at both young and middle ages, over the years; most of which were health-related. These events lead me to try to live every day with a greater sense of urgency, and put first priorities first. At some point we have to face what is, not what we wish was, or what we planned on, and deal with present realities, and be willing to adjust. When I was in my early 50's I realized that people my age, and even younger, died every day, and that I could not just continue assuming that there would be plenty of time in the future for all that I wanted out of life. Waiting for the perfect solution to a dilemma to appear may mean never having what we want the most.

I still expect to live to a very old age, but I am trying to live my life in a way to not have regrets in the event that that plan doesn't pan out.

I think that most people who want to live here could figure out a way to make it work, financially, in TV if they just decided to make it happen and made that their first priority; and the great lifestyle, plus the climate here which, in my opinion, so lends itself to better health and longevity, are such huge payoffs and 'trade-ups' that whatever perceived sacrifices will be seen as well worth it sooner or later. (After all, I figured, 80,000+ Villagers can't all be wrong!)

So, if you like me are not a 'spring chicken', and given that the real estate market is not looking great (and being mindful of Trump and others who believe we are witnessing the end of, or at least huge decline in, the middle class in the US, which would make me think that most real estate values cannot be reliably predicted to increase substantially in the near future) then if my ownership of a home elsewhere was preventing me from moving to TV, I would consider these options: either I would sell it at whatever the current value is, mourning yet accepting whatever loss was necessary, and then either buy or lease whatever I could afford in TV even if it meant an adjustment from my 'dream' retirement home (reread above about the 'trade-ups'); or, if I could not bring myself to sell at the current value, then I would try leasing the property for a few years, and then move to TV and lease here until the property eventually got sold, then use the proceeds to buy here (or just continue leasing). (I think most people will find that living in TV is, overall, substantially less expensive than living in other locations; there are some previous threads discussing this).

I liked Martin Luther King's words about "take the first step. . . you don't have to see the whole staircase". I think that once we make a decision, the universe moves too, and the next steps will become evident. Sometimes we have to make decisions based on not just knowledge, but factoring in our intuition and a measure of faith. I think that for most people once they find a way to move to TV, by doing whatever it takes for that to happen, they will actually be all right, and their future steps will become evident over time.