Almost home

I drove north on 101 yesterday, three hours on the gorgeous stretch from San Luis Obispo through Salinas. The temperature was in the 90s and the road was mostly empty. I played Astaire and Metric on the radio and my husband and I alternated the a/c on, off, on, off according to whim. My husband read me real estate ads from the Central Coast Homes and Land magazine: 280 acres of rolling hill country with expansive views and hundred year old oaks; 150 acres lakeside. "Now that's worth one-point-five million," I said reflectively. Could I give up tech and switch to farming, or would I get bored?

And as we drove on, as the lush green around San Luis flowed into the harsher hills north of Paso and the afternoon winds kicked in around King City, it occurred to me that perhaps I haven't bought a home because in many ways I already have one. On long drives it stretches out in front of me, graceful in black pavement with a yellow line down the middle, and I rarely feel better than when I have a full tank of gas and a suitcase in the trunk. Could I settle to just one view, no matter how expansive, or am I better off leaving my options open as I have done so far?