Reflections

A new house. This signifies different things for different people. For me, it means the achievement of a goal that I’ve had now for many years. My spouse and I had our sights on homeownership. The timing never seemed right, though. The prices were low, but the interest rates high, then the interest rates were low and the prices high. We waited, trying to time our purchase just perfectly. That wait turned into eleven long years. We sat back and watched friends and family buy homes thinking, was their timing right? Then, months later, seeing their equity skyrocket, we’d sigh and decide that we’d act the next time a good opportunity came our way. And when such opportunities did, we cowered in fear that we’d never be able to do it successfully. Paralyzed with doubt, we held back waiting for that perfect harmonious moment when the sky would open and a ray of sun would point us in the right direction at the right time. In trying to be patient, smart and analytical, we delayed plunging into the unknown and hence put off fulfilling a dream for eleven years.

We were done being patient. We decided to take a leap of faith.

What changed? The housing market certainly didn’t. We ended up paying much more than we would have if we had acted even a year ago. What changed was us. One day, a great friend of ours opened our eyes when he pointed out that we were living in fear. We were afraid to make that leap of faith because of the uncertainty and restriction we put on our own abilities. To the outsider, this doesn’t seem like much of a revelation. But to anyone who has ever been immobilized by fear, recognizing and admitting your anxiety is a huge stepping-stone into conquering your obstacle. The second step is to see fear for what it really is, illogical and irrational. Those two revelations almost immediately eradicated the worry we had held for so long.

Taking a leap of faith requires strength, trust, and determination. The possibility of failure holds us back like bars on a jail cell. It keeps us locked away from achieving our goals and all the perks and pleasures that come along with that achievement. We stood outside looking in on our dreams, watching others take chances that we weren’t brave enough to take. For eleven years the fear of failing weighed our feet down from taking that leap and reaping the eventual rewards. We got stuck in the what if we fail? mode. We blamed the weather, the interest rates, the price of housing, the costs of inflation, but it was not until we viewed ourselves as the real reason for not acting, that were we able to act. Together, my spouse and I took that leap of faith, and despite the impending mortgage payments and the other major responsibilities that come from homeownership, we couldn’t feel more liberated. We’re no longer dreaming; we’re doing. There’s a huge difference. Doing makes dreams a reality. We are now steering the direction instead of letting fear steer it for us. Now that we took that leap of faith we can enjoy the next stage of our lives. It’s never too late to leap.

The most eye-opening thing for me was that buying a home really wasn’t all that hard once we did it. The fear magically vanished and is now replaced by a hope so bright and promising that I can hardly contain my excitement. I know we’re just talking about four supporting walls here, but they are a special four walls to us. I can’t wait to fill them with love, family, and memories.

To celebrate the spirit of home, Annmarie Ciano has designed Le Petit Noel, a silk gauze design.