Commuter V

Giving Up the House Life for Apartment Living … Maybe

By Cynna Woo

When people are young many long to leave the city and save every dollar to get more space out in the burbs. Somewhere along the line, the goal may change.

Here it is a new year; as I was heading back to NJ after a much needed 10 day break for the holidays. One of the best perks of working in higher education is the time off at Christmas. Let’s not forget about the four day work week in the summer either, it is one of the reasons I applied for this position 65 miles from my home.

Now, we’re a two home couple, one is a big drafty house that could use updating after 22 years of fixing things mostly when they break. The other is a tiny condo with one bedroom, where I never lose things. However, the big house is jealous of the small house because it has the coveted walk-in closet.

This new year brings a new promotion for my husband and it has me thinking that I’ll be driving into this morning sun glare for some time yet. Plenty of time alone in my car to start constructing our plans for the future.

If he is going to stay in PA, I think I would like to sell the big house and move to a center city apartment.
An apartment!
My friends are already exclaiming, “Why would you throw your money away like that?”

I think that it would be nice to not be responsible for everything that breaks. I wouldn’t feel guilty for not “updating” the old house. My commute would be cut by a half hour and I could do it by train if needed. I think we could be OK with renting for a bit, I don’t want to jump right in and buy in the city. I need to know if city life is more fun and exciting or more expensive and dangerous. I also probably haven’t even thought about the expense or hassle of parking two cars in the city either. Still, I would like to be able to walk to dinner or a movie or even the theater, a wish common among other empty nesters.

Ah that word, empty nester, how it saddens me, although there’s really no reason to be sad. My children have been out of the house for quite some time now. In fact my son is planning home renovations of his own. How funny the words, “Everything costs so much,” are coming from his mouth. I think his bathroom will cost the same as our first house.

The time raising children is endless when you are going through it and looking back it went by far too quickly.

Almost to work, and I can’t wait to see that Galloway Wawa, with the gas price twenty cents cheaper than PA. This week I’ll be facing re-admit students. These are students who left college a few years ago or sometimes a decade ago. They’ll be surprised if they have more classes to go than they thought. It’s funny how one remembers needing only a few courses to graduate when a few may be a year or more of academic work. But I’m glad they’re coming; it keeps me in business.

The Commuter is a column by Cynna Woo. She has been commuting between South Jersey and the Philadelphia suburbs for the last four years. When she first landed her great job as an academic advisor in N.J. she did not mind the drive. But, driving 65 miles one way grew old very fast. She shortened the drive time by buying a condo in Smithville, NJ. She now lives like a single person during the week and commutes to her “big house” and husband of 35 years, on the weekends. She would like to share her commuter musings, while driving. She will actually write them down when she gets home, because she hasn’t perfected writing while driving quite yet. Cynna enjoys reviewing movies, show tunes, listening to Howard Stern, speaking in french, collecting mermaids, hiking, and spending quality time with her amazing family.