By definition, the term quality of life means the standard of health, comfort, and happiness experienced by an individual or group. This has been a topic of conversation frequently, not only in work-life balance but also in personal life matters.

I am in that stage of my life where everyone around me is getting married, having babies, buying houses, and moving forward. While I try not to let myself get caught up in the hype or compare where I am to where they are, it’s hard not to think about what your life will be like when you reach that point. The marriage and children part is still a long ways out, it’s a home I find myself thinking about more and more. To this point I’ve been an apartment hopper, moving from place to place as leases end and life changes. We now live in an in-law apartment, putting any extra income toward paying off student debt, saving, and traveling.

Most days I feel like I’m where I’m supposed to be for the time being, but lately more often I’ve found myself wanting a home. Not just a home-base, but somewhere I can paint the walls and grow a garden and move forward.

This has been a topic of conversation between Austin and I recently as well.  For him, quality of life is moving to the middle of the state to be closer to his job, where we can get more land and space because it’s cheaper than living near the city. It’s having financial stability, and setting goals to work towards each time one is completed; checking them off one by one.  

For me, it’s a bunch of different things and I haven’t exactly figured out marching orders yet. It’s success in my career, a move across the country for a new adventure, a place to call home near the people I love, and financial stability. The order is skewed, and so is finding a balance between what I want and what he wants. So how do you compromise on the things you find important, the things that give quality to your life?

Neither of us have really given much lee-way in terms of what we want as the next step in our life together, but the most important thing is that we’ve listened and acknowledged these differences. While we may not be on the same page, we respect what the other thinks of as most important, what will make us feel fulfilled and give our life quality. A compromise will have to come, and we’ve been working towards that, but just because everyone else is reaching this next step in their lives doesn’t mean we have to rush it.

So for the time being, I’m making mindfulness a priority and focusing on the right now; enjoying our time in our little in-law apartment and paying down my loans. When the time comes that we can afford to move, compromises will have to be made.  In the long run, it’s not the house that truly matters, but instead the person in it with you that makes it a home.