I'm a gypsy at heart. I suppose after 51 moves it's just hard to think like other people. Perhaps that's why it's not a priority for me to own a house. A friend and I had this discussion recently. Many people own houses as investments or security or just because that's their idea of how things are supposed to be. I have a difficult time being very precise about my feelings on the subject. I can argue for either side. Gary and I have owned two houses. We didn't live in either of them as long as we've lived in some of the houses we've rented. In fact, we lived in our previous rented house for thirteen years. That's longer than I have ever lived anywhere, in my entire life. And yet I don't find that I miss it any more than I miss other places I've lived. One of the places I miss the most was a house we lived in for only a year!
I like renting from other people because it gives me a sense of freedom that my gypsy soul still needs, (even though my old body likes a little stability) and I don't have to worry about major expenses like a new roof or plumbing. I also like the variety of places we've been able to live in. We've lived in some houses that we would have never been able to buy. And, yes, we've lived in some places that no one would want! LOL Sure, it can be difficult when circumstances force you to move, or you want to move and have trouble finding a place to live, but those things are just as likely to happen with a house you own. And we've had a few "not so nice" landlords, but most have been good, because we have tried to be good.
Renters have gotten a bad reputation over the years because many have the attitude that "It's not mine, so I don't have to take care of it." Sounds reasonable, but I suspect they wouldn't take care of anything they owned either! I'm enjoying the house we are in, and I care for it as carefully as though I owned it. I want it to be a nice place to live, even after I've moved on.
I don't know what the future holds. Gary and I moved here in a motorhome with the intention of living in it, and we did that for a year. We wanted to travel the country and work at odd jobs and be free. I told you...gypsies at heart. We never planned to be in Oklahoma for more than a year or two at most. However, family ties and circumstances and changes in priorities have brought us to where we are now-living on a windswept hill in Oklahoma and loving it.
Who knows where we will end up next year or the year after. Maybe we'll buy a house. Maybe we'll rent a studio apartment. Maybe we'll be right here. That is in God's hands, as I've learned over the years. After all "ownership" is really just in our minds anyway. God is the owner of everything and we're all renters.
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