maximizing

finding a house, particularly a rental, is sort of like finding a job. or maybe more like hiring the right person for a job. in both cases the interviewee feels like they have the hard role, but really it's the interviewer (or home seeker) whose choice either will set them up for a comfortable fit or months to years of inconvenient hassle.

this is the first time i've looked at houses for myself in over seven years and more than a decade since i've considered rentals. it's quite the adventure. at the first house i saw the landlord was leaning up against the front porch reading a book called, 'the paradox of choice'. haley asked him about it and he told us that the author described two types of people, "maximizers" and "satisficers".

the maximizers turn over every stone, researching and searching for every possible option when presented with a choice. they won't rest until they are certain they are making the right decision and even then, they will continue to validate the choice. the satisficers will look just enough to make a choice, make it, and move on. (or at least this is what i gathered from a five minute conversation with the guy.)

haley and i make a balanced max/sat team and i'm grateful for that. her determination to see everything is pushing me through my impatience and readiness to be satisfied. and of course, the fact that every single house is somehow dysfunctionally quirky.

i've identified one house that i have a vision for. i've got my fingers crossed it will work out. because so far the alternatives are absolutely comic in their absurdity. (closets converted to half baths enclosed with a curtain, back porches walled in to create 3rd bedrooms, basements filled with appliance 'collections', stairs capped off with enormous checkerboard constructions, and the list goes on)

but regardless of the draining nature of disappointment, the promise of a home that i can afford and recreate my life in without the hours of commuting being a component is worth every minute. even if i have to maximize in order to get there, the satisfaction on the other side will be the reward.

d: the perfect home, in the perfect time.
b: i have a vision.
g: i have time.