simple

 In life I have chosen not to have children and I have spent all of my life being extremely careful to avoid having them. I have also never wanted to marry (although I did for a few years due to love with geographical complications). I never felt a desire, or pull, to buy a house. I see a progressive city as one in which there is public transport, bicycle paths, and places to walk.

It is incredible to me that people claim: ‘you must find someone and settle down, get married, have kids, buy a house.’ If that is what you sincerely want, great. However, if you don’t feel any desire for these things, there is nothing wrong with that choice. I have devoted my life to travelling, music, literature, study, and work. My incessant travelling, and moving to different countries, means that buying a house always seemed like too much of a commitment to me. The more I read about renting versus buying, the more I believe that the house market is bordering on a scam and that buying is equal to opening a tap at the bottom of your bank account and letting all of your money drain away. For some, it turns out well… a house fully paid off by retirement. For most, constant refinancing and debt mean that they die still making payments on a house that is owned by the bank.

As recently as last year I was still falling into the trap of believing the ‘you must get onto the property ladder… just get anything to get started’ bandwagon. I made an offer on several houses and two were accepted (not at the same time). In both cases, I came close to having a complete nervous breakdown and heart attack. In both cases, the sellers tried to change the offer after I had signed it, and in both cases, this gave me the strength to walk away. After the second escape I recall the feeling of swimming in the pool of my rented building, chatting to neighbours, looking at the sky and smiling with relief and pure joy. I never could understand why people chose to make life so complicated and stray from a simple life. Perhaps I am just simple.


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