This is one of my posts that I wish everyone would read because it’s about the adventure of life itself.
I did the same thing in my early 60s. I completely started over. It was the best decision I ever made—at least so far. I’ll explain that further down.
When COVID hit, something big changed for me. Up until then, I knew that restlessness was building inside, but it took that event to push me over the edge and make the blind leap. Because I was “shelter in place” during that event, I spent lots of hours on Zillow looking at other places to live. In the spring of 2021, I decided to sell my house in Kirkland, WA, yet I had no idea where I was going. It started with about a two-week trip driving to Wisconsin, with big detours to see some houses in Kansas and Iowa.
The day I got out of the left-wing-lockdown-nuttiness of Seattle and east of the mountains, the whole mood shifted. The farther east I drove, the friendlier the environment became. It was in Chamberlain, South Dakota, where I noticed the welcome and dramatic shift from the unpleasant civil discourse of the Pacific Northwest. It happened at a gas station where everyone was talking to each other. At first, I assumed it was a church group that had just gotten out or something. No, it was just friendly people in the Midwest, and they were everywhere.
I was driving my Alfa Giulia on that first trip, and it became a point of conversation. I was having a lot of fun with the banter. I knew at that moment that I’d be moving to the Midwest—but where?
I returned to Kirkland, got the house packed up and sold, and bought a Sprinter van to do the big search. I drove 13,000 miles around the Midwest in search of that perfect spot. I let my house and setting be the guide. That had to be perfect! I wasn’t going to compromise. It could be a cardboard box for all I cared, as long as it had the right setting and basic necessities nearby. I looked at over 10,000 houses online and about 50–60 in person, and I got good at it.
When I came across the house I’m in now, it was perfect in every way. I nailed exactly what I was seeking—right down to walking in the door and proclaiming, “THIS IS IT!” I didn’t even have to look at the whole house to know. I bought the house and have been rebuilding my life here ever since.
I’m just about at break-even rebuilding my consulting practice here. It’s been more expensive than I anticipated, and I’m not 100% there yet, but close. Time will tell if I made the exact right decision, but it’s incredible here, and I feel like the luckiest man on the planet to have found this place. Everyone has been wonderful to me. I’ve dealt with some big stuff here, and the friends I’ve met in the area have been extraordinary. I feel at home.
I can’t speak for others, but that blind leap was the best thing I ever did, terrifying as it was. I’m still a tiny bit scared as I rebuild my business, but wow—what an incredible ride and the very kind of adventure everyone should have at least once in their life.
EDIT: Someone asked which cities and states did I like the best, then deleted the question. It was a good question. I liked Sheboygan, WI a lot. I liked Iowa a lot. Anything along the western side of the Mississippi was interesting, but not St. Louis. I didn’t want to be in a big city. I loved Wichita, KS- one great neighborhood, and lots of small towns I don’t now remember. I ended up outside of Springfield, Missouri and I loved this area the most because of the average weather. It’s not too far north or south, and not too far east where humidity is so bad. I loved areas around Nashville too. Kentucky was beautiful but I’m not into colonial architecture. My advice is just look at a lot of stuff and do not settle.
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