A Primary Residence of One's Own

My last foreseeable beach-houseguest just set sail on high speed ferry back to town, which leaves things feeling a little what's-nextish over here at Officelessness' floating HQ. When you work for yourself, remotely, the location question is an open-ended one. There's no commute to factor in, no colleagues to miss, no place with a wifi connection and a bedroom to rent off limits. You can go where the wind takes you, which might sound pretty nice, depending upon where you're at.

But then, there's that thing about roots. Community. Consistency. Popular wisdom suggests that someone my age should work toward owning a home. I love the Boston area for many reasons, but real estate is not what you'd call affordable, particularly for a single person in the first few years of running her own business. Anything semi-comfortably within reach hovers around 500 square feet. Sort of uninspiring to imagine my grown-up life of cooking fancy dinners on a stove overlooking my bed. I try to envision a life anywhere from Philly to Portland, Maine (or Oregon, really); Salem, Mass to Santa Barbara. Proximity to nature is important, as are things to do and good food. Decent weather is plus, but I'm hardy New England stock, so I'll take what comes. And of course, price is a factor, as are taxes, crime, solitude, proximity to people I know... It's near-impossible to narrow it down to that "perfect" place and put down roots. And so I flit from place to place, until I find a reason to stop. Is Residencelessness is the new Officelessness?