Bowie and Seattle.

Last Friday I got up at the crack of dawn and flew to Seattle for a long weekend with my daughter, son-in-law, and their family. I left Seattle on Tuesday with an offer for a nanny position, which I have accepted. I decided a couple of years ago that, when I decided where I want to live next, becoming a professional nanny would be a great way to relocate. My daughter has said for some time that I should be doing just that, but the time wasn't right for me. If you can't see an option as a viable option, then it isn't an opportunity for you. Not at that point in time.

I told the couple who I met at the airport, and who were looking for a nanny for their newborn son, that if it were a year from now, I would probably be begging them to hire me. When they asked why not now, I explained that I bought a home just about two years ago and if I sell it sooner than three years from the purchase date, I will have to re-pay the $8,000 first-time home-owner tax-credit that I received from my Uncle Sam. They said they'd keep my contact information, and asked me to contact them if and when my circumstances changed; perhaps their nanny position would be open again. The position sounded so ideal for me, though, that I couldn't stop thinking about it. The proverbial spark was lit.

I remembered that, although it wouldn't be wise for me to sell my house, I could rent it out. I thought of all sorts of reasons why I couldn't possibly pack up and move to Seattle at this time. Yet with every obstacle that came to mind, a solution was just a few thoughts away. Maybe I could make this work out. I called the couple and made arrangements to visit them at their home. We visited briefly and they showed me their house (which is in the nicest area of Seattle). They are both doctors who are in their residencies, so need a nanny...and one who can live-in, for the times when they get called to the hospital in the middle of the night. The next day, I went back to spend more time with the baby. We strolled to the neighborhood coffee shop, where they told me that they would like for me to be their nanny.

I went back to my daughter's in a fog, and on a cloud. Every time that I've visited Seattle I've thought (and said aloud), "I wish I could live here." For the rest of my weekend in Seattle (which was extended by a day, due to airline flight delays), I walked around in a daze. I realized, "Oh, my God...I can live here! I will live here!"

When she lived in NYC, I once told my daughter that I wished they were still in Seattle, because I really wanted to live there when I left the mid-west. She told me not to let her family dictate where I went. Well, of course not...but when I leave here, I explained, I want to at least be close to one of my kids (the rest of them live in our home-town...where I am not about to live again). Now, there was Janet back in Seattle with two of my grandsons...and my dream-job was on the table in front of me. I would be a complete idiot to refuse the offer. And so I accepted.

I was able to set my start-date for the 7th of November. I need time to get my home squared-away and rented. I need to find someone to mow and snow-blow, and I need a manager to collect the rent. I need to sort and sell most of my belongings; to decide what to take, what to store (if anything), and what to sell...and I have four weeks to do it in, at the absolute most. I haven't decided yet whether I'll fly or drive out. Flying is dirt-cheap right now, but shipping is still costly. I would really love the adventure (sanity-break) of a 1,500 mile road-trip, but I can mull all of that over while I'm cleaning out the basement.

I have a new job in a new city, a big adventure on the horizon, and a whole lot of David Bowie on my mind. Sing it with me! ♫♪ Ch-ch-ch-changes...♪♫