The Most Natural Thing in the World

Was my last post mysterious enough?

Well, it’s all still a bit mysterious to me, too, but here’s how it went down. My husband has been frustrated with his work situation for a very long time. It’s not that he worries about the security of his job or anything, but he feels supremely underutilized, and surrounded by people who are squandering opportunities to do positive things for the company. He’s just not the kind of guy to sit around collecting a paycheck, so, over time, he’s been bitten by the entrepreneur bug. He wants to start his own business — desperately — and he has for many years.

I’ve generally been very against the idea, to be honest. We have two kids now, and it seems crazy to me to jeopardize the security we have to pursue something he has no experience doing. And, because of the line of work he’s in, going into business for himself requires a big investment of money, and a continuing investment as things proceed. It’s not like it would be for me if I were to become a freelance writer — that would mean we’d lose the security of a regular paycheck, but we wouldn’t incur any additional costs for equipment, office space, etc. So, this business idea has always struck me as a pretty huge dramatic risk.

I’m not sure exactly what has changed. He got a bit more experience at work so I feel more comfortable that he knows what he’s doing. I’m getting a little more frustrated in my own job and could use a fresh start. And, most importantly, we started talking about the changes we’d need to make to start a business — the primary one being that we’d need to reduce our living expenses so we could live on one income… mine. That just doesn’t seem possible in New York.

So, one day, we were chatting on instant messenger, when the idea of moving to my home state of Texas came up. Austin now supports some industry that’s at least tangentially related to what I do. And Texas would offer the additional advantage of being closer to my family — a couple of cousins live in Austin and another is moving nearby this summer. Then, my dad would be in driving distance, as would be my aunts, uncles and other cousins. We could go to birthday parties, anniversary celebrations, etc. The boys would have the opportunity of getting to know their family in a way that is impossible right now, and we’d have the advantage of developing those relationships more, as well. It’s really the most natural thing in the world. And it now seems possible.

All we have to do is raise $ to buy a bunch of equipment, get me a job, find a new home, and haul the whole family across the country again. Simple!