Turbulence in the Garden...

Hello, my fellow readers. I realize it's been many months, since my last planted blog post. So much has transpired since May 29th, which was the last time I sat down and planted a blog post. That evening the wind was taken out of my sails. Let me expound in the next paragraph.

I was getting settled for the evening and watching TV, when I had a knock at the door. It was my neighbor from down the hall. What he was about to tell me would rock my world. That's where the turbulence comes in. It appeared that all 12 of the apartments were going to be refurbished and that would mean that I was going to have to move at some point. He was only given a 32 day notice or legal action would be taken. It essentially was a termination of lease. He felt the need to share with me, because of the fact that I was single and did not have a car. It was kind of him to think of me. My head was spinning and I was in disbelief this was even happening. 

April 1st had been 33 years that I had resided at that apartment. In fact, I was the only one in that 12 unit complex that had lived there the longest. I was comfortable there and at my age, was not contemplating a move, but at this point, there was not going to be a choice in the matter.

The next morning I contacted my management company, to find out what was really going on. I was told that I probably would not be receiving my letter until possibly August or September. I was also told that a transfer with that same management company would be possible. That made me feel a whole lot better, knowing that I would not be forced to leave without the possibility of finding another apartment in a reasonable amount of time. 

The tricky part of this was, that I had a lease that was not up until August 1st. This was only the end of May, so if I would have found something sooner and ended up moving, I would have ended up breaking the lease and having to pay a penalty, along with having to have the apartment deep cleaned and shampooed. The fact that they would be refurbishing my old apartment, meant that I needed to stay as long as possible. I was even told at some point that I would still have to have it deep cleaned and shampooed, but over the course of some of the apartments getting refurbished, that was no longer the case. 

They were going to rip out all the carpets and have hardwood floors, as all the apartments were becoming pet friendly. The downside of all of this was going to be a huge rent increase and even though I had the choice of leaving for a month or so and moving back in to my old apartment, that was not going to be an option. 

I knew deep down, that a change was in order. I had gotten into a rut and became too comfortable. I had no idea on how to even began the process of looking for a new place. The first thing I did was make a list of all the things that would have to be changed, updating addresses, making sure my 5G Internet would still work, as I had just changed with Verizon last December and it was working great. 

I also wanted to stay in the north side of the city, as my ride to work lived in that area. I had been getting rides for several years, so that was a big concern. I didn't even mention anything at work for at least a month, as I was still trying to process this all myself. This was going to mean taking a lot of time off of work, when it came time to move. 

I finally got the courage to have a talk with the person who gives me rides and he assured me that he would continue. In fact, he ended up taking me to a showing of an apartment, that we looked at and I would end up renting. I only had a chance to see one, because all of my other showings were canceled. It was frustrating, because it gave me nothing to compare with and it had been so long that I had moved and so much has changed. I also talked with my boss and the first thing he said to me was; "I don't want you to stress over this. If you need to make a call or go for an appointment, you do that." That made things so much easier to deal with. 

I definitely needed to find a place with 2 bedrooms. My 2nd bedroom is a place where I do my writing and I was not willing to give that up. I knew that my rent would be considerably higher, so that is why I was adamant about getting all the amenities that I had at this last apartment. 

The place that I looked at was popular, so I needed to jump on it, as soon as possible. I had to get a background check, something I didn't have to do 33 years ago. I had no problem with that. The following day I was told that the apartment would be mine to rent, possibly now at the end of August. It was July 22nd, when I received this news, so now I would have to give a 30 day notice, merely a formality. It turned out that I would not actually have to be out in 30 days, because of this special circumstance of this ending up becoming a transfer within the management company. It sure took the pressure off. 

I ended up being able to start moving in on August 29th and my big move was the following Wednesday on September 3rd. That gave me an opportunity with the help of friends to start moving some items ahead of time. My moving company was excellent to work with. They had actually come to my old apartment for a free estimate. We went in every room and figured out what would be getting moved. I ended up throwing some items away, as I simply could not take it all. I was given great tips on how to pack. It was estimated that I would have at least 25 boxes that would be packed up before the move. It ended up becoming close to 50. I also used tubs that were purchased at Fleet Farm. That became my go-to place for getting storage items.

I am fortunate that I'm employed at a medical facility, because I was able to get many boxes. I packed up all of those boxes myself and carried out many bags to the trash of items that I simply could not take. I developed muscles I didn't realize I had and even ended up losing about 9 lbs in the course of a month. 

Getting ready for a move is a lot of work. It only started to get exciting when I was able to make all of the final arrangements like making sure the electricity would be turned on at the new place, getting my Internet and cable established. I even purchased a smart TV, something that I had been putting off. I believe in timing and this was definitely the right circumstance to make that purchase. 

As stressful as this whole situation was, it ended up being just the change that I needed. I have much more light and I have several windows in the living room and my bedrooms. It has been a great source of therapy for me. 

I have a huge pantry just off of my kitchen, something I have never had and even some of my friends are envious of this. 

I have tried to make this place inviting. My living room has become my source of musical entertainment for me. I purchased a record player, so I can once again play some of my old albums that I have had for years. I was able to hook up my 5 disc CD player to it. I amazed myself with being able to do all of this. 

I'm not completely settled yet, but I'm getting there. Deliveries are working out great for groceries, etc. My 5G Internet is so much better here, because I'm closer to a tower. 

I live in a lower level apartment, which is great at my age. The laundry is located on the 2nd floor, but it is only about 9 steps, which isn't that bad. I am across the street from a small mall, so I can get items in a pinch. There is even a coffee shop, so if I'm ever off on a Friday, I can get a free cookie. 

As turbulent and unsettling as this whole situation has been, it turned out to be a blessing in disguise. You've heard the expression; "When we make plans, God laughs." I had tried to have things move along more quickly than they did at times. It was when I eased off, that I notice that things started falling into place more easily. 

It's been well over a month that I've been here, but in some ways it's strange being in a new place. 33 years is a long time to be in one place. My GF took a picture of me standing outside my old apartment several weeks before I moved. I will leave you with that picture. 

Be sure to take care of your gardens and don't be so resistant to change. It could end up becoming that blessing that you never thought was possible.

Until next time, keep blooming.

❤️ Brenda