Telecommuting From Key West

January 5, 2008 | Posted by Kat

If you’ve read my blog in the past, you know that I often speak of the benefits of living wherever you wish (within reason) as a Telecommuter. I spent the Christmas Holiday in Key West, Florida and not a day went by where my wife and I didn’t think about “what if we moved”. Going from 32 degrees to 80 is enough to make anyone start thinking.

There are many reasons why it would be a good move for us. As an avid fisherman, the though of being able to fish year round is very compelling. Most of my wife’s family and my family live in Florida and we are the sole holdouts still living in the Northeast. My job could easily be done from a home in Florida, though my wife would need to start over fresh. That is not a problem, however, as I make enough money to cover us both and it would enable us to start a business of our own with my wife putting in the initial effort full time.

So why don’t we pick up an move? Three things stand in our way: inertia, Pennyscroft, and the Chesapeake Bay

1. Inertia – as explained by Wikipedia, inertia “is a non-quantifiable property of matter by which it remains at rest or in uniform motion in the same straight line unless acted upon by some external force”. That external force would need to be a lost job, financial hardship, health issues or something else drastic.
2. Pennyscroft – this is the name given to my current home in Pennsylvania by it’s original owner, Spencer Trotter. The home was built in 1886/1887 and having moved here 2.5 years ago, the house has become a part of our family. It is hard to leave it before we finish what our vision is for the house.
3. Chesapeake Bay – I’ve recreated on the Chesapeake for 35 years or so and I believe it to be one of the most amazing and beautiful bodies of water in the world. The wildlife and scenery are unsurpassed and I find it hard to leave it behind. Given the repeated dreary reports on the state of the Bay’s health, I sometimes think all is lost and that I should move away in disgust.

My wife would probably also add her job of 15 years with the same company as a hindrance to moving. Dupont is a great company to work for and it is not likely that she could continue to work for them if we were to relocate.

So there you have it. Although the telecommuting arrangement allows flexibility in one’s life, we often have many reason why not to take advantage of all that it allows us to do. Someday …

Categories: WFH, telecommuting | Tags: Chesapeake Bay, Key West | 1 Comment »

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