A Beautiful Backtrack
Sometimes moving forward can be a beautiful backtrack. The past few years have taught me that chasing a values-based life often means going against the crowd. For us, it meant leaving a high salary and a city with endless entertainment options for a simpler, purpose-driven life. It meant leaving the subtropical climate for Florida for the frozen winters of Iowa. What some may see as foolish, we see as life-giving. Here’s our story.
Why would you EVER leave Florida for Iowa? Winter sounds awful! I heard similar sentiments numerous times after my family decided to leave our Tampa-area home to move north. Were we crazy to leave the beautiful retirement destination we called home?
When in college, I could not wait to move somewhere warmer and more exciting than Iowa. I succeeded in this endeavor by attending graduate school in southern California. I said I would never move back, and landed jobs in tropical or subtropical locations after graduation. In many ways, central Florida was a great fit for me. I loved the subtropical climate, the gardening groups, and the farmer’s markets. Grumpy Pants Pants had finally established enough stock for frequent sales, and we were making business connections. However, Mr. Grump and I both felt something was missing.
Chasing a Values-Based Life: TIME
Chasing a values-based life meant having more time for family. While living in Tampa, both Mr. Grump’s and my outside jobs were full-time and required upwards of two hours of commuting time per day. Frequent accidents often led to even longer commutes. This meant that our daycare was watching Little Grump for ten hours per day, while we saw her for two or three daytime hours on weekdays. Compounding this issue, we often spent weekends exhausted, with little energy for valued pursuits.
Here in small-town Iowa, traffic, if it exists at all, consists of a slow-moving tractor that is easy to pass. There may be an occasional train slowing things down, but a 10-minute delay once a week pales in comparison to rush hour in a major city. My commute here is a glorious 4 miles through scenic farmland.
While in Tampa, we were also several hours away from any of our family members. Although we made great connections with our neighbors and community, travel time to visit any kin was prohibitive. Given I grew up in the Midwest and Mr. Grump grew up in the South, no single location was perfect in terms of the family situation. However, being in Iowa will allow Little Grump to spent significant time with at least one set of grandparents.
No amount of money can buy back time with those we love.
Chasing a Values-Based Life: SPACE
Chasing a values-based life meant having more land to utilize and enjoy. When we first moved to Tampa, we began saving for a small acreage to expand our gardens. Very few large properties appeared for sale, and over the course of four years, prices rose exponentially on property. A one-acre lot with a small, run-down home near our neighborhood listed for three quarters of a million dollars. At that point, we knew that a move would be necessary in order to secure additional land.
In small-town Iowa, despite the rise in property values there too, we secured small acreage for less than the cost of our Tampa home. Although the house was built in the 1800’s and the outbuildings were also quite old, all were usable without immediate modification. I am thrilled that Little Grump now has space to play outdoors; she loves when I pull her around in a wagon while we water our new plant additions. Additionally, as we continue to plan for the future of Grumpy Pants Plants, we look forward to having the space to significantly expand our operations. If you haven’t yet seen the new farm, check it out here!
Move over, Disney World. For our family, no tourist attractions bring us the level of joy we experience by exploring the our little piece of Earth.
Chasing a Values-Based Life: FREEDOM
Chasing a values-based life meant having more freedom to pursue what we enjoy. For Mr. Grump, this was having the space to engage in numerous creative pursuits. For me, this was an unmistakable calling to the teaching profession. I love reading, research, and mentorship, so when a position opened up at a great school, it was an easy decision. An additional benefit of teaching is having summers off; this new career will afford me precious time with Little Grump each summer. I hope to use this time to cultivate her already-developing loves of curiosity and nature. Additionally, we plan to frequent farmer’s markets, sharing our love of delicious food and fun plants.
Chasing our values may be lead to choices some see as odd, but we could care less. We are home.
Have you made any major life changes to better live out your values? If so, feel free to share below.
