Dear Eric: Should I go to Tanzania for two weeks with people I don’t know and one person I only kind of know?
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I mentioned I wanted to go to Tanzania some day and this lady in the movie theater said, “Oh, I’m going to Tanzania and we need one more person in our group.”
With airfare and safari costs, it will be $8,000. I have the money, but I was planning to invest in a mutual fund. Should I go?
– Impromptu Invitation
Dear Invitation: No! Do not go to a second location with random people from movie theaters!
Report to your financial adviser’s office, stat. It sounds like you just want something to spend money on.
Dear Eric: Ugh, I’m getting divorced.
Should I buy a new house close to work, eliminate my commute and have a bigger, nicer place, or should I buy another house in my current neighborhood, where I’m comfortable and have friends, community, babysitters, and city life and culture around?
Current commute is about 30 minutes each way.
– Uprooted and Commuted
Dear Uprooted: Being closer to friends is better than being closer to work.
As you’re figuring out what comes next, the benefit of more space and no commute won’t be as great as that of deepening your existing relationships in your community and making use of the support system you’ve already established.
You’re going through a period of such huge upheaval; finding a new babysitter for a night when you really need to unwind sounds like a bridge too far.
You’ve got roots where you are and while your divorce is going to change the nature of some of those roots, and even cut some off, there’s a beautiful possibility that many of those roots will only get more secure. I encourage you to give yourself that possibility.
This bigger, nicer house could be lovely, but I’ll take a more modest abode filled with people, laughter, and life any day.
By the by, my girl Goldilocks just swung by with a third suggestion. Is it possible to split the difference and find a bigger place that’s midway between work and where you live now?
There was a study published in the journal Transportation in 2001 that found that for most people, the ideal commute is 16 minutes (chosen even over having no commute at all). Your mileage may vary, quite literally, but maybe giving yourself some drive time back while not burdening friendships with distance is your best option.
Congratulations on starting this new journey in your life, even if it comes …read more
Source:: The Mercury News – Entertainment
