1 post tagged “privacy”

Why do you live where you live?
Submitted by memtony.

I really like this question, because the answer is very meaningful to me. 

After getting divorced about 10 years ago, I bought a 3-bedroom ranch about half an hour outside of town.  It has 2 acres, apple trees, a big old cherry tree, and a 30'x40' garden plot already established.  I planted a garden 3 years in a row, but the insects and animals got most of it every year.  I've gotten a few apples, but the birds beat me to the cherries when they are in season.  I do bring in sprigs of cherry blossoms and apple blossoms to enjoy though.

We can see two of our neighbors' houses from our house, but they are still far enough away that I have privacy even out in the yard.

We have barely any traffic and hardly ever hear sirens or our neighbors. There are no street lights, so at night the sky is beautiful and we can see all the stars.  (That part freaked me out right after I saw the film Blair Witch Project and then drove home through the woods.)

The main reason I love where we live is privacy.  My sons both have autism, so while they were growing up, there was a lot of screaming and yelling (not me, them :D).  We have a lot of holes in our walls from rages, and some garage windows suffered one of my youngest son's tantrums.  But our privacy made things a lot easier to handle.  The rages finally subsided and the boys have calmed down.  Someday I'll get the holes in the walls fixed, but there's no rush.

This might sound a bit strange, but I'm also glad that we live far enough away from friends and family that they don't stop by all the time.  Not to be mean, I love to see them.  But our lives are so chaotic that it's difficult to be surprised by a drop-in guest.

What with the divorce when my sons were young and the difficulties they have on a day-to-day basis, I am thankful that we have a home that will be here for them for a very long time to offer some sense of stability and peace.