For some reason, Elizabeth never acclimated to Aurora the way Luke and I did. She kept her job at the Goodwill in Denver, preferring a long commute over finding something local. She gradually fell into something like the difficult adolescent phase Luke went through when he was 14, except she is in her mid-20s. She stopped helping around the house, stopped putting any effort into getting along with Luke and me, and withdrew into her basement realm like a grumpy goblin. She was even alienating her oldest childhood friends. Whatever the cause, Elizabeth was not thriving here.
We all sorta just put up with it as long as she was paying her share of the bills. But when she lost the Goodwill job and was unable to land any new employment, it felt like a signal from the universe that the time had come for a reboot. So she asked her dad if she could go stay with him in Arizona, and he readily agreed.
In late March, she packed up as much stuff as she could fit into the Adventuremobile, and Luke drove her out to Steve’s place in Arizona.
It was the right call. She has since acquired a rabbit, a horse, a drivers license and a new job. She is more or less free from the constraints of civilization, out there in the desert.
Photo credit Jaqueline Silkotch
Photo credit Jaqueline Silkotch
Photo credit Jaqueline Silkotch
And here at home, life is peaceful again. Money is tighter with only two incomes, but it’s easier to budget. Luke and I were frankly astonished to discover how much of the household resources Elizabeth had been consuming. Apparently being miserable makes you really hungry and thirsty.
Sometimes life doesn’t go quite the way you’d hoped, but I’m very thankful that Steve is able to provide a safe alternative to the dark and unproductive mental state that Elizabeth was in here. I hope she builds a fulfilling life that puts her talents to good use. And thanks to the magic of the Internet, Luke and I can follow her journey and cheer her on from afar.
There are few things worse than being stuck where you don’t belong. Here’s to starting fresh in a new setting, and growing into the person you were meant to be.
You’ve got this, Elizabeth!
An Invincible Summer 