Letting go of the big House on Warren and Twins at the Park!

     Today a friend of Sidney's, Veronica, is moving out of her big house in Cobble Hill!  Sidney calls to ask me if I want to go see a "club chair" Veronica is giving away!
     And she has mor stuff, Sidney says.  Being the curious "collector", I jump out of the chair and rush down there.  Outside the men are sweating in the hot, humid summer with boxes and furniture all over the sidewalk.  I go inside to see Veronica on the phone, a mover with a brush and a can of paint in his hand trying to see if it is the right color for the hallway nicks and chips.
    How do I remember moving out of these houses!  We had a four story house in San Franscisco with double views of the city and bay we left in 84.  It was simply too much money and when I refused to move back to NY, (the company would buy the house if we couldn't sell it), we had to put it up for sale.  It was one of those huge 4 story houses in Pacific Heights that had incredible views.  All the kids were in private school and it was costing a fortune. I even had an "estate sale" though no one died!
    I looked at the chair Veronica was giving away, and told her I was sorry she had to leave the house.
   "Oh, don't be" she said.  "I'm happy!"
    And then it hit me-it's that time of life, late forties, fifties, and you find yourself managing these huge houses, all so that you can look like a family "full of life!"  But they are a pain in the "ass" in many ways.
    And while Veronica's house sold for 3.5 millions, sight unseen, people waiting outside for the "fantasy life," it all comes at a price.  Seeing the inside of her brownstone with its ridiculously high stairs, and long narrow rooms, it had long since lost its appeal to me.  Veronica's children were teenagers getting ready for their own lives.  The world was in a giant platonic shift!
    Meanwhile the nanny and I took Tess and Gigi to Cobble Hill Park, spread out a sheet and watched the girls crawl on it.  Well, Tess had gone from hoping to crawling, and we were in terror of what might happen!
   I am feeling too old for all of this!