There hasn’t been a lot of activity here this year and up until last night I was pretty sure I was going to just going to hit delete button and get on with things.
Things, you see, have Been Happening.
It started mid-April when I was laid off from my job [Remember that pesky economic down turn? Yup, I was a casualty]. I figured that with my experience and skills I’d be able to find something fairly soon, and did my best to be positive, but after the nth interviewer said to me ‘you have too much experience’ like it was a bad thing, I got a little depressed. Since when is being good at what you do a deterrent?
Then, in June, Ironhead and I decided that we really did want to make the jump from renters to homeowners, called our real estate agent brother-in-law, and had him set up viewings. Within two weekends we found a beautiful flat that met all our requirements. Including a fireplace and hardwood floors! By the end of July we were homeowners. August was lost to a haze of packing, while September was spent unpacking, settling in to a new postal code and a whole different way of doing things, and more interviews.
Now we’ve hit the midway mark in my favourite month, we’re settled in enough that we’ve actually set a date for a housewarming party, and life as I know it is nothing like it was 6 months ago. I’m still searching for the right job, and am lucky enough to have a network of professionals I can count on. I’m also looking at the possibility of going back to school full-time, something I never thought I’d get another shot at.
Not having a job to go to everyday has been both blessing and a curse though – my sleep-loving body no longer has to get up at the crack of dawn, and I have a lot more control over what I do every day, but there are days when it’s a real struggle not to feel like I could stay in bed all day sulking and no one would know.
[Well, except me. And the cats, but they're totally on board with that plan any day of the week.]
I see less people on a daily basis, but more of the people I adore. I’m cautiously re-vamping my social life, and making new friends.
I already knew I would not miss the sounds of the sirens or the rock concerts, but I didn’t know how unsettling the constant traffic noise was until I no longer had to deal with it.
I’m getting used to neighbours who remember my name, who say hello and have a thoughtful word to say, and being within walking distance of a whole new set of interesting places.
There are days when this still scares the heck out of me, and things are so shiny and new I could crack at the slightest push, but those days aren’t happening as often as they were. Things aren’t what they were, and they never will be again, but I can’t help thinking that that’s a good thing.
~ Cin
