Life Hits Fast-Forward (Again!) - Midlifehood Edition | Week 15 Post-layoff

"Nothing happens unless first a dream." — Carl Sandburg

You know that moment when you think you've got everything figured out and then life hits fast-forward? That's exactly what happened this week when our carefully staged home got a full-price offer after just two showings.

Bryan hears (and then sings a few words from) Carly Simon's song "Anticipation" this week. We've been trying to enjoy each intentional moment of this journey, and not solely focus on the end goal. Then suddenly—boom!—everything sped up. The realtor told us that the "Average days on market" in our area was 48. The selling timeline we thought would stretch over months has suddenly been reduced into days.

Interestingly, this marks the third time in our journey that the "fast-forward" button was pressed on our timeline. First came the layoff announcement, which kicked our vague "someday" plans into immediate action. Then the realtors recommended that we list earlier than originally planned to beat the mid-June inventory peak and lock in our tiny home price before increases. Now, this full-price offer after just two showings has rocketed us forward yet again.

It's quite the emotional rollercoaster: excitement, disbelief, and a healthy dose of "wow, is this really happening?!" After all, dreams feel safe when they're still in the future. When a signed contract shows up in your inbox, that's when reality hits.

This Week's Reality Check:

• ✓ Returned home from the tiny home community rental ("tinytel") with valuable insights
• ✓ Lived in our existing staged home for the first full week (as challenging as expected!)
• ✓ Received only one showing this week (Thursday morning)
• ✓ Received a FULL-PRICE OFFER Friday night
• ✓ Counter-offers exchanged and contract signed by end of Saturday
• ✓ Seven-day option period begins, with potential end of May closing
• ✓ Secured a second storage unit for climate-controlled household items

What We're Actually Doing:

The Fast-Forward Button Gets Pressed (Again)

When we think about it, our journey so far has been all about these moments when life suddenly put everything into high gear. The first came in January with the layoff announcement. What had been our "one day" conversations about simplifying life and pursuing financial freedom suddenly became our now reality. Those final weeks of wrapping up my work responsibilities while launching our new direction felt like being shot out of a cannon.

The second acceleration came after talking with realtors. Our relaxed timeline of decluttering whenever we felt like it suddenly turned into a mad dash of staging, repairs, and preparations to hit the early spring market. What we thought might happen in late spring needed to be done, like, yesterday.

Now we're experiencing the third blast-off: a full-price offer after just two showings, potentially closing late May. Once again, the universe seems determined to accelerate our carefully measured steps.

I'm starting to see these time accelerations as important markers on our journey. Each one has pushed us forward exactly when we needed a nudge, even if it felt a little sooner than we were ready for. They created momentum at just the right time. What felt like disruptions to our careful plans have actually become catalysts, moving us toward our goal faster than we could have managed on our own.

When Plans Meet Fast-Forward

We spent Sunday wrapping up our weekend at the tiny home community rental, making mental notes about what worked and what didn't. King-sized bed? Non-negotiable, even if it means floating shelves instead of nightstands. Sharing a queen-sized bed with two dogs and a cat at the tinytel proved that need. Screened porch for the dogs? Absolutely essential (needing them to always be on leash got old fast). And while the 399-square-foot space felt totally workable, we realized we'll need to be even pickier about what comes with us.

Thursday morning brought our first showing request of the week. The 9:15 appointment meant an early morning scramble to hide all evidence that we actually live here—stashing pet bowls, toys, beds, the cat tower, and our daily stuff.

Forty-five minutes before the showing, we loaded two dogs and one cat into the car and drove around the neighborhood, eventually stopping at the park in our neighborhood. Through our Ring camera, we watched the agent and potential buyer arrive right on time and spend about 20 minutes touring our home.

We passed their cars and saw them checking out another house down the street as we returned home, not realizing this brief showing would change everything.

Friday felt like a normal day—bookkeeping, writing blog posts, tidying up. We've set 4:00 PM as our daily "relaxation cutoff," since showings require three hours' notice and the latest appointment time is 7:00 PM.

But at 8:30 PM, the unexpected happened: an email from our agent followed by a phone call. The Thursday visitors had submitted a full-price offer!

After just two showings total, we were staring at a contract. The buyer is currently renting and needs to move by May 30th, which works perfectly with our timeline. If all goes as planned, we could be closing in late May, maybe leasing back for two weeks to hold our estate sale, then transitioning to a rental tiny home while ours is being built.

All week, I had been telling myself about the lack of showings, "we don't need a lot of showings, we just need one buyer." Sometimes the universe takes you quite literally.

Learning While Waiting

This in-between time has taught us a lot about what really matters in our daily lives. Meal planning while living in a staged home has been interesting—we're eating bagged Costco salads, soup, homemade veggie burritos, pizza, sandwiches, and fruit. "It feels a bit like camping!" I said. We're getting a preview of our simplified lifestyle ahead, even if this version is a bit extreme.

Our "tinytel" stay gave us critical insights about our future home. Beyond the king-sized bed being non-negotiable, we realized how important outdoor space is for the dogs and how much we value comfortable furniture. The additional challenge to find comfortable furniture with a "Transformer" attitude is one we look forward to taking on.

Something unexpected happened this week too—meaningful conversations with neighbors who've noticed the "For Sale" sign. Many have barely said hello with a wave in our nine years here, but suddenly we're hearing, "We'll miss you—you're such nice neighbors!" These conversations make me emotional, reminding me that endings often reveal connections we didn't fully appreciate.

When Dreams Demand Decisions

Saturday delivered another plot twist as we exchanged counter-offers with the buyer. A planned dinner with friends was derailed when Zori (one of our dogs) stepped on a bee during her pre-dinner walk. As we waited in the vet's parking lot, we talked through negotiation details over the phone with our agent. In hindsight, having the time to discuss counter offer options with the agent, at that moment, would not have happened if we had been with friends at dinner. Maybe this was another wink from the universe in the "everything happens for a reason" realm.

Late that evening, before Saturday became Sunday, we had an executed contract! The seven-day option period begins tomorrow, and assuming all inspections go well, we'll be ordering our tiny home next week. We've been quietly building toward this transition for months. The anticipation that kept us going is transforming into action items and deadlines.

Perhaps these repeated time accelerations are teaching us something important about life: sometimes the universe knows when you're ready before you do, and the best laid plans often unfold in their own surprising timing.

Let's Talk:

Have you ever had your carefully planned timeline suddenly speed up? How did you handle it?

Do you find that major life changes often happen faster or slower than you expect?

What things in your daily routine would be absolute must-haves if you were dramatically downsizing your living space?

Looking Forward:

The coming week brings the home inspection and option period. We'll be holding our breath a bit, but also planning our next steps with more clarity. We're researching estate sale companies and making lists of what comes with us versus what finds new homes.

We'll also be finalizing our tiny home order, turning our design choices into actual specifications. What began as a dream is quickly becoming blueprints and build schedules.

Until next week, remember that sometimes our dreams come crashing in faster than we expect. The anticipation is part of the journey—but so is that exhilarating, occasionally overwhelming moment when anticipation turns into reality.

Here's to choosing our own path together.

Note: This post is part of our weekly "Reinventing Midlifehood" series, chronicling our journey of intentional living and rediscovering what matters after a midlife career transition. If this post was shared with you, we hope you'll join us as we explore the freedom that comes from choosing your own path rather than following conventional wisdom.