I locked in a 3.25% mortgage rate in a desirable suburb. It looks like success on the surface, but feels far from it.

One car thrust home, my observant 6-year-old asked a reliable question: "Mommy, do you want to unrecorded here?"

I suppose she'd heard maine kick astir life successful the DC suburbs a fewer excessively galore times. Still, successful a infinitesimal of vulnerability and sadness, I said, "No, I miss my friends, and I miss Georgia."

In her astir supportive and matter-of-fact tone, she reminded maine that I'm the leader of us, and that we tin move whenever I want to. I've weighed these words galore nights.

After all, earlier moving present 7 years ago, I'd spent much than a decade building a life I loved successful Atlanta.

I'd primitively landed location successful 2006 to prosecute a profession arsenic a photographer, and it's wherever I'd made immoderate of my closest friends, built up my portfolio, and discovered caller outdoor hobbies for illustration hiking and fishing.

Atlanta had conscionable astir everything I wanted isolated from proximity to family, who are mostly successful the Washington DC area, wherever I'd grown up.

In those 13 years I lived successful Atlanta, I missed a batch of birthdays and weddings because I didn't person capable money aliases PTO to alert home. It became difficult to stomach.

And by 2019, I had yet decided to caput backmost to the DC area.

I consciousness fortunate to person secured a awesome owe complaint and location successful the suburbs of DC

After a fewer years of surviving successful the DC suburbs, I was excited and humbled to beryllium capable to go a homeowner.

In 2021, I purchased a three-bedroom, 1,400-square-foot townhouse successful Bowie, Maryland, a desirable suburb conscionable extracurricular DC. It's a short commute from the nation's superior and is considered an affluent, family-friendly city.

It felt for illustration a awesome spot to raise my daughter, who was calved not agelong aft I moved.

I'd besides gotten fortunate securing a fixed 3.25% liking complaint complete a 30-year period, which made my owe payments comparable to what I'd been paying successful rent.

I don't person a screened-in structure aliases a sprawling gait arsenic I dreamed of, but my organization has 2 pools, playgrounds, and a fewer miles of trails.

It's besides a mini quality reserve. On immoderate fixed day, we tin spot cervid playing successful the beforehand yards and rabbits grazing connected the grass. We often spot chipmunks, foxes, turtles, ducks, and different vertebrate type that I tin hardly recognize.

Although I don't person capable acreage for a monolithic garden, I've managed to turn strawberries, potatoes, tomatoes, and an array of herbs successful my raised flower bed.

It's besides been bully to unrecorded a short thrust distant from a batch of family members and walk a batch of clip pinch them complete the years.

Yes, location is truthful overmuch to beryllium thankful for, and the life I built looks for illustration occurrence connected the surface. In reality, I often consciousness stuck and alone.

Still, surviving present has been lonelier than I imagined — and I often consciousness for illustration I can't leave

Although I live person to family, I near down truthful galore of my friends and web successful Atlanta. And, arsenic galore person lamented online, building a caller organization arsenic an big is difficult.

It's felt particularly challenging for maine successful the suburbs, wherever I consciousness for illustration I'm starting from scratch. I've tried gathering group by joining an big softball convention and a women's walk/run group.

To my chagrin, conscionable 1 budding narration has emerged from those activities. In the past 7 years, I've made 3 caller friends … and 1 of them has already moved away.

Sometimes it feels for illustration the easy point to do is to fly backmost to Atlanta, to what feels comfortable — my halfway friend group, the easygoing Southern vibes.

But erstwhile I stock my woes, my champion friend (in Georgia) cautions maine not to enactment hastily, particularly erstwhile it comes to finances.

She regularly reminds maine of really fortunate I americium to person my historically debased liking rate, particularly since her owe liking complaint from a twelvemonth agone was much than double mine.

What could I realistically spend now that the mean 30-year liking rates person mostly been good complete 6%? Certainly not a townhouse pinch a car shed successful the aforesaid subdivision wherever I presently unrecorded successful a sought-after suburb, astir apt not thing comparable successful Atlanta.

As overmuch arsenic I'd emotion to return to Atlanta, it's not the champion move for my family aliases finances

Yes, galore signs constituent South for me, but it's nary longer I who has the last say. My attraction isn't astir what's champion for maine — it's what's champion for my family.

My girl has fostered a beardown consciousness of organization present and made galore friends. She's successful the plot and play clubs astatine school, and she starts performance choir successful the fall.

Slowly, done things for illustration playdates pinch her friends and their parents, my daughter's organization is becoming excavation arsenic well. I'm learning to clasp those connections, thin connected my family more, and find support pinch different moms astatine my child's school.

I've started hosting parties astatine my location and participating successful much section women's fittingness groups. I'm rediscovering hiking, a hobby I fell successful emotion pinch while hiking Kennesaw Mountain successful Georgia.

Ultimately, my daughter's societal and affectional well-being is the astir important point to me, truthful arsenic agelong arsenic she is thriving, I'll beryllium conscionable fine.

Plus, keeping my awesome owe rate and reasonable monthly costs feels for illustration different logic I should enactment put.

In the meantime, I'm going to extremity comparing Bowie to Atlanta and do what I tin to bask wherever I am.