I’m thinking about moving. More than that, I can pretty much guarantee I will move within the next 40 months. Quite possibly sooner. I’m mulling over Kaikoura, but I’m still flexible. I need to visit some more towns.
Kaikoura is the whale-watching capital of New Zealand. The temperature only goes down to 41F (5C) in winter, and up to 70F (21C) in summer i.e. my perfect range. It has good coffee. It’s got a movie theatre. I can get a cat. And/or a dog. It’s only got 1,800 residents, but it’s a tourist town, because of the aforesaid whale watching, so it’s got good amenities. It’s 2.5 hours drive, or 3 hours by train, from an international airport. I know, I think it’s weird the train takes longer, too.
And it’s fucking gorgeous.
I am so done with Auckland. I’m done with the sub-tropical climate. I’m done with it taking three hours to get home from work because of shitty Auckland BMW drivers who want to beat the shitty queues down Symonds Street and don’t mind screwing everyone else over to do so. Auckland house prices are so insane [1] that I can sell up here and buy anywhere else in the country, mortgage-free. And, right now, I can’t see any reason not to.
You see, I’ve lost my job. Again.
I feel such a sense of relief. I would never have found the intestinal fortitude to jump. The sword of Damocles has been hanging over me for more than two years now. It’s frankly tough, being autistic and working in a neurotypical workplace. I exhaust myself trying to fit in, and I haven’t even been doing a good job. I have awesome skills they don’t need, and lack the ones they do.
It’s just… what do I do now? How am I gonna put bread on the table or pinot gris in my glass? Do I have it in me to be an entrepreneur? Can I do something online to make a living? Transcriptions? Proof reading? Thesis copy editing?
For some reason I lack all sense of fear. I can feel only a bubbling excitement within me. I can’t wait to try something new. I’m open to ideas and suggestions.
[1] If current market increases continue (although I don’t see how they can) allegedly by 2039 you could win the NZ national lotto and it still wouldn’t be enough for a deposit on a family home in Auckland.
With a Squid Ink Pen 
Good luck! Leaping is one of life’s most fantastic experiences. If you buy in that tourist town, get a place you can rent a room in for Airbnb. And if there’s any way you can keep your old place and let it ride as a rental for a few more years, do so. I once proudly sold a house for $100k profit, only to have the next owners sell it for $600k profit a few years later with zero renovations, all due to the rising market.
Thank you! I will give renting deep thought. I need to get permission from the Body Corp and Res Assoc to do so, but maybe if I make them cookies….
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Hi, Emma! Kimmy, here, (from Goodreads).
Ha! Just five minutes ago–literally!–I was saying that the older I get, the smaller my window of tolerance for temperatures gets. Currently, my lower limit is 3 degrees Celsius and my upper limit, 24 degrees Celsius (both still oooookay-sorta-pleasant to walk to get my groceries or to walk to work; I don’t drive). That’s almost the same as your window!
I lost my job three years ago, and have since found another job, but it’s significantly lower in pay. And hours. And I feel I’m not using my talents. (The people are kind, though.)
Maybe I should kick my butt into gear and do some self-motivation for those more artistic talents I believed I had when I was much younger. I always get beaten down by the old “I can’t” from negative childhood influences. But no more! I admire the way you are positive and striving to follow your bliss. The way you continually try to improve your mind (I love doing that via reading!) and your writing craft, despite upsets. Your passion shows!
Hey Kimmy! thanks for coming over to my blog! and for your kind comments, too. I don’t feel very positive a lot of the time, but if I’m not coming across as a self-pitying whiner, then YAY!