What counts?

This evening, Matthew and I watched the sunset from our house.  The sky was brilliant with orange and purple above the sparkling city below.  We watched the capitol building glow and the twinkling lights of downtown come alive.

The city view from our bedroom will soon be partially obscured by the leaves of a 150 year-old Elm in our front yard.  I love watching and listening to the birds in that tree as much, if not more than, the views of the city.

Last Friday, we met with a realtor to discuss finding a new, more accessible home.  Bertrand is only getting bigger and the cost to rehabilitate our current home for his (and our backs') benefit is substantial.  Before we make a major and costly decision, we're thoroughly evaluating all the options from various ways of fixing our current home to moving.

There are many factors to consider.  The ones that we and perhaps most people tend to focus on are the ones which are easily quantified, such as the cost of a commute (cost of a new car, hours in a car, maintenance, gas, parking passes, etc.).  Then there are related variables (opportunity costs) such as "extra time spent away from family".  How do you value that?

Or how about being only 3 minutes away from the main children's hospital?  ...especially when you have a child like Bertrand?  In even ONE emergency situation, how much would that be worth?

How do you value the joy of your very first home?  Your children's first home?  Your memories?  Your dreams?

Tonight, as I looked down at the sparkling city and spied swollen leaf buds on the Elm, my suspicion was that these intangibles are undervalued.

"Not everything that counts can be counted, and not everything that can be counted counts."