Trying It On

So my partner recently was given notice that he's going to be laid off from work. For various reasons, including the extreme discrepancies in our salaries and the possibility of him taking a huge paycut if we stay where we are, we're considering moving together somewhere else where he can continue with his company and maintain his salary. I never thought I would be the kind of woman who moved house with her man to further his career, so this is a bit hard for me to swallow. On the other hand, I also know that if anyone is going to start over, it makes sense for me to do so, since I'm just at the beginning of my career.

I've been mentally trying on the various places that we could move and finding it somewhat exciting and sometimes very appealing. For example, there is a chance we could move to Phoenix, AZ. Every morning when I go outside and have to scrape the frost off my car windows, this appeals to me more and more. Coming from Michigan, my first few winters here in the Pacific Northwest were nothing, but it's been almost ten years and now this feels cold to me.

In one Phoenix scenario, we would only be there temporarily and would probably live in a friend's vacant home. In that scenario, I think about working at the local food co-op or doing some menial data entry job or even teaching, but having a regular schedule and weekends off with A. Sounds lovely, no? If we stayed more permanently, I would pursue my license and establish myself as a solo practitioner - and I imagine my space and my practice being smaller and simpler, more in line with the vision I've always held. Much more about acupuncture and hands on healing. In Phoenix, we'd have a pool and it would always be warm enough outside for Chibo and I. Either way, I have grown to love the idea of moving to Phoenix.

Another option is leaving the company and moving to Chicago, where A's parents live. My family would be a short drive or commuter flight away, which is incredibly appealing, but it's SO COLD. After thinking of Phoenix, the Midwest loses much of it's appeal. My career would probably take off there, though, due to the dearth of available practitioners and I could help my mom much more regularly. Hell, I could even stay there part of the week and work up the street where some family friends have a healing center. I can talk myself into it, but it's not really what I want.

There is also the possibility of moving to New England, where A's sister and extended family lives. If we moved there, his parents would probably follow which would consolidate his family nicely, however, I think there is little or no appeal for my mother in New England, though I would at least be closer. Cold, cold, snowy and icy winters, though. But I enjoyed New England thoroughly when I visited last October and have many friends in that area. I guess I could probably make the best of that situation as well, though, again, it wouldn't be my first choice.

The last and somewhat distant option is a recycling of the old idea of moving to China for a few years. If we moved to China, I would either not be able to work or just teach English, but I would hope to find someone with whom to further my studies in Chinese medicine and have even thought about offering my services through the company to the American employees. On the other hand, if I wasn't working, I would be able to get the rest I so desperately need, could practice my Qigong and Taiji regularly and would be able to prepare healthy meals for A and I and have more energy to go adventuring when he was free from his work obligations.

The spirit of adventure that comes up for me with the options of Arizona and China comes up for the other places as well and come summer, I might find them more appealing, but with spring still far away and more mornings of scraping my car off ahead of me, anything cold is less appealing. In any event, I've advised A to apply for anything he thinks and we'll decide when there is an offer on the table - I may regret that advice when he starts getting offers, but in the meantime I can dream of adventure, make my pro's and con's lists and bundle up to keep warm.