Decisions, decisions...

So the deal was, I accepted this contract gig in Fort Worth, a little over an hour’s drive away, because the money was good and it was work I could do without taking it home with me at night, psychologically, I mean. That was a problem, in child psychiatry, or in adult psychiatry for that matter; I always worried about my patients. But I don’t have patients, doing what I do now. There’s a ton of work, all detail oriented, and a fair amount of writing, so the days fly by. The commute was/is a drag, but the contract was for a year...for six months, actually, renewable, and on February 1st, I was renewed until August, so I figured, a year...I can do anything for a year, and when the year is up, there’ll be another job, closer to home...

OK. So far, so good...but Thursday night, just after 5:00, my boss called. With absolutely no notice, she said, “We’d like to hire you permanently. Are you interested?”

Geez.

This job pays well...the company is so posh, it can afford to pay well, and it’s a good place to work; it consistently makes Fortune Magazine’s 100 Best Companies To Work For, and I know plenty of people who have tried, unsuccessfully, to get hired by this company...so of course I said yes, depending on what the offer is, I’m interested...

But...what if the offer’s really good? The sensible thing would be to move to Fort Worth...but I don’t know if I want to move to Fort Worth. I have friends and family within 5 minutes of me, living in this neighborhood in Dallas, and I love that. Last weekend, on the spur of the moment, A and I stopped by to see Katharine, Brenden and Xander, then A, Kath and I went out for a pizza, after which Kath and I ended up going to the Sears Outlet Store to look at clothes dryers, as mine seems to be dying. After I’d recovered from sticker shock at the price of dryers, even refurbished ones, Kath and I sat in my car, in front of her house, and talked for 30 minutes or so, just catching up...and we had such a good time. And this past Wednesday, at a little after 7:00 AM, as I was running into my neighborhood 7-11 to get a cup of coffee, Chris called and said he wants to have dinner one night soon, and though we both work long hours, because we live close to each other, he can call me up whenever he’s available, and we can go out for Thai food on a moment’s notice...and I’ve been thinking about how, when the boys are in town, their friends come over and everyone hangs out at my place, and how much I love that.

I’ve been planning to sell this house, but I’d planned to stay in the neighborhood, or at least to stay in Dallas. Fort Worth is only an hour away, but...what to do?

Maybe it’s time to look at a Prius...