A dear, sweet friend of mine stopped by a few days before Christmas to deliver a lovely little present. We sat down for a chat, and unfortunately she brought up a subject I have found myself trying to avoid lately: the housing options in Los Angeles. Before I knew what had happened I was atop my soapbox, lamenting about how much it costs to be here, how long of a commute Ian would have if we moved somewhere affordable, how terrible the high schools are in the whole Los Angeles area, which is just a bit pitiful to bring up because it has zero impact on me until like fourteen years, anyways, I went on and on.
After she left I felt pretty ashamed of myself. I let my bitter ranting get the better of what could have been a sweet Christmas moment. I realized that after Ian and I found out we couldn't afford a home basically anywhere in LA, I got really angry about it. I felt we had done everything we were supposed to- we got great educations, well-paying jobs, frugal lifestyles- Didn't we have a right to the American Dream which, by definition, includes a little home that you own in an unfancy neighborhood that's not 10hours away from where dad works, that has comes with nice kids for my kids to go to Scout Camp and church with and decent schools that turn out well-educated, community-minded, if not a bit immature, graduates?
Well, it turns out that if we're looking at living anywhere in the Westside of Los Angeles in super pricey southern California, the answer is no. End of discussion. I can't have all of those things here. I can have one, or two of them if I really try, but I can't have all three, or four, or however many it is. And getting mad at the Los Angeles tax codes and grandfather clauses and urban sprawl is not going to make me feel one bit better. I realized that what I can do to OWN the fact that we are choosing to live here, we are choosing this- LA living and all its warts. I've looked at the other options- moving out of the area, hiring a nanny and going back to work, etc. etc. and honestly, none of them is a better fit. Maybe someday, but not now. So my only option is embracing what we've got. So yeah, anyways, I'm going to head over for a beautiful bike ride along the beach on a perfect balmy Saturday at the end of December with my husband who has a super short drive to work- oh yeah, and I'll schedule one in for July too ;)
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3 years ago
2 comments:
I'm proud of you for realizing the blessings that come from your current place in life- although I understand that it always seems someone else has it a little better. Good luck with the ranting relinquishment!
We certainly feel your pain. While in Utah this past week we were asked how short we were in saving for a home. I think the tune of $300,000 sounds about right. It is truly insane. But I wouldn't trade the food, culture and people of LA for affordable housing in Utah, Idaho, or Texas (I think that's where everyone seems to be going lately).
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