I recalled myself battling with a particular decision I needed to make some time ago. It was a difficult moment for me, and my husband stepped in to help make it more difficult even.
I was battling with my mind seriously, to the point that I lost peace within those moments. To him, I refused to see the future, and for that, there is no point in wasting his energy in making me decide to move or not.
I think I agree with his statements. I didn't think about the future; I was just shallow in my thoughts and never wanted to leave my comfort zone.
Sometimes, we need to leave our comfort zone and make ourselves uncomfortable for a better tomorrow. Good enough, I had a husband who was pushing me to understand life better, think ahead, and not just be limited by what I see in the moment.
A few years ago, we bought land here in Lagos State, Nigeria, in an underdeveloped area. Before I could blink my eyes, my husband said he is developing the house immediately so we could relocate there and stop paying this huge rent in the city of Lagos. I declined the suggestion immediately. Now, see my myopic idea and strict decision back then, below..
Why not develop the house, then rent it out to tenants, while we use the rent generated to renew our own rent here in the city? Even though the rent we will generate from our house wouldn't be enough because rent over there in a developing area is lesser, we can add it up and keep living in the city instead of relocating to a place still developing.
The above text was my suggestion, and I meant it. My husband was speechless at first; he was almost mad at me, but I didn't care, lol. I told him I was never leaving the city for a developing area, and I don't know how many years it will take for the area to develop into a big city. Funny enough, the area in question isn't that far, just like a 30-minute drive to the main city of Lagos without traffic, but I wasn't seeing that even.
Our landlord then, in the midst of this whole argument, increased our rent to almost twice what we were paying before. My husband, being an engineer, mobilized his workers and started developing our house with full force, ignoring all my rants. Indeed, I didn't see the future; I didn't consider how much we spent yearly on rent and how it was beginning to affect other bills at home. And many more perks of living in your own House.
The truth is that the place I called a developing area was fast developing every day. No time we visit the site that we wouldn't see duplexes and bungalows under construction. People were relocating actively to the place, but yet, I preferred the city where everything is already in place, where I have made friends in my neighborhood, and where I have already mastered the market and my church members. I wanted to keep up with my old circle, forgetting that life is not by default. Sometimes, there is a need to take radical decisions for the good.
In no distant time, hubby was done with the building , he came home and said, if you still decide not to move along with me in our new house and location, I am moving with the kids, maybe rent yourself an apartment over here in the main city, it's fine by him. This statement killed my old decision immediately, of course I know my husband, he doesn't joke with some of his decisions,lol.
I remember consulting some of my few friends and instead of supporting my foolish decision of renting out our house to use the rent generated to maintain city life, they congratulated me for becoming a new landlord rather , can you imagine , lol. They went ahead to advise me to ask my husband for forgiveness and that I should have supported every of his decisions in the begining instead of my actions.
At this point, I was begining to see things differently, I regretted my bad decisions of the past. Indeed, there are true friends, and I am always lucky with some. My eyes were opened through some raw truth I heard from them, not from hubby this time, and I didn't hesitate to ask hubby to forgive me, and he did immediately.
I embrace this big decision to relocate immediately, and today, the so-called developing area has become a mini city. Life has become easier without paying huge rents like before to landlords, and I have peace knowing that no man or woman comes to knock at my gate over rent or whatever, lol, it's all good impact in my life in general and that of my family .
This is my entry to the ladies of Hive contest #264. Check here to join.
Images are mine
