Peaks & Valleys

We have a saying at work regarding our special needs children: "There are peaks & valleys." Often their skills resemble this oft-used phrase.  Currently my situation with my house is quite similar--there are definite peaks & valleys.  On Monday my house went under contract less than a week after I listed it--it sold pretty much at asking price too which in this market is huge.  WOOHOO!  Big top of the mountain feeling that day to be sure!  How quickly things can go south--

Xing Fu & I had been looking at houses & found one, that although it was a bit beat up, really suited our needs nicely.  It had been sitting for quite some time so we thought that we could look at a couple more houses before throwing our towel into the ring on that one.  Wrong thing to do--we should've made the offer on Monday when mine went under contract because while we were deliberating someone else made an offer too.  So the sellers had two offers to consider.  We had the better & stronger offer but not the better closing date.  Since I have to close so soon, on May 15th, because my buyers need to take possession before one of them is deployed, we lost the other house. So now we're back to square one & my son & I will be homeless as of May 15th.  I think that is the scariest thought. As a result, Xing Fu, & I went with our realtor yesterday to look again--and there ain't much out there & what is out there in our price range & what we need in a house, is getting snapped up in an alarming rate.  And we've had to lower our expectations--the stress of this situation is the valley...I just hope that it doesn't go any deeper. 

I've always heard said that moving is a huge stress on even the best of relationships--I'm beginning to understand why.  I have spent hours sobbing, next minute excited, the next sobbing again.  I wear my emotions on my sleeve & I'm exhausted.  And the stress is causing me not to sleep very well--woke up early this morning & felt like there was an open abyss that I was just about to tumble into--I haven't felt that kind of nightmare in a very long time--I hope I grab on to something or something catches me before I fall forever...I don't know how Xing Fu does it.  My realtor said that he's like a duck--calm demeanor as he glides through the water on top with his webbed feet paddling furiously underneath.  I must agree--I'm the ungainly puffin who struggles to keep up.  Hopefully all this will work itself out & I too can glide through the water.