Week Twenty: On Moving, Future Projects, & Decorating All the Things.
In precisely eighteen days and twenty hours, I will finally be moving into my new apartment. Considering that I started searching back in February, this cannot come fast enough.
While I'm less stoked for the prospect of physically having to move my things, I'll tell you what I am excited for: decorating. My new roommate, a guy who genuinely seems pretty cool, more or less gave me the go-ahead to decorate the apartment however I'd like to. And being someone that rather enjoys the nesting process of moving into a new place, this notion is fucking delightful. Earlier today, after a co-worker sent me a picture of a coffee table she found at the local Goodwill, my mom and I went to go check it out, see if it was still available to purchase. Not only was it still available (and a steal at only ten dollars!) but I also managed to find this gorgeous mid-century modern shelf that will serve to cross off yet another item from my #30Before30 list this year -- refinish a piece of furniture!
I'm thinking of doing a few different things with this shelf: painting the whole thing either black or white and then either doing a pop of color on the back panel, wallpaper, or a stencil. Perhaps when I have the time next weekend, I'll head over to the craft store and weigh my options! By all means, weigh in with your thoughts! I will gladly take any input.
The thing about moving to a new place, even though its tedious and time consuming and honestly a little bit intimidating, is that it opens up the door to new adventures and possibilities. The person I'll be moving in with, whose name is Brett, seems very, very cool. Who knows what kind of things I'l learn about myself and learn about this new person? Maybe he'll introduce me to new ideas, new places, new people!
It is, however, worth mentioning that one of the things that I learned from my last major experience living with roommates is how important it is to discuss expectations, boundaries, and set clear guidelines for living together. It can be really difficult to find good people with whom you get along on both a personal level and practical level. Prior to finding this apartment, Brett and I met up for a drink so we could suss out the details of the house, figure out what was important to one another, and get to know each other before moving forward. Thankfully, it seems like our values align pretty closely, which is something of a relief. From our conversation, I don't necessarily have to worry about whether or not this person has a dependency problem or if he'll take my things without asking or if he's not discussing something with me if he's upset. Honestly, I think one of the best things about growing up and becoming an adult is learning how to have those tough conversations and based on the things that we talked about over drinks, I get the impression he feels the same way.
Oh, how I wish that June first were tomorrow! I just can't wait to live my life again. All of my belongings, all of the stuff that makes a house a home has been packed away since January, gathering dust in boxes where they can't be used, can't be loved, can't be shared. Just last week, another co-worker asked me to fix a ripped seam on one of her jackets and despite my effort, I couldn't find any of my sewing gear amongst the boxes stashed away in my mother's basement. While I recognize that things don't make a person who they are, they are an expression of personhood. To be confined to a bedroom that doesn't belong to me surrounded by things that don't belong to me makes a person feel out of place, out of sync.
And I can name at least one person who can attest to how much I can make a house feel like a home. I'm so looking forward to that.
So, in exactly eighteen days and now nineteen hours, I will be well on my way to setting my feet on new ground. With any luck, I'll be fortunate enough to stay there for a long, long while. Till next week!
While I'm less stoked for the prospect of physically having to move my things, I'll tell you what I am excited for: decorating. My new roommate, a guy who genuinely seems pretty cool, more or less gave me the go-ahead to decorate the apartment however I'd like to. And being someone that rather enjoys the nesting process of moving into a new place, this notion is fucking delightful. Earlier today, after a co-worker sent me a picture of a coffee table she found at the local Goodwill, my mom and I went to go check it out, see if it was still available to purchase. Not only was it still available (and a steal at only ten dollars!) but I also managed to find this gorgeous mid-century modern shelf that will serve to cross off yet another item from my #30Before30 list this year -- refinish a piece of furniture!
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| Thrift Haul of the Day! Cat not included. This will be my refinish project for the year. |
The thing about moving to a new place, even though its tedious and time consuming and honestly a little bit intimidating, is that it opens up the door to new adventures and possibilities. The person I'll be moving in with, whose name is Brett, seems very, very cool. Who knows what kind of things I'l learn about myself and learn about this new person? Maybe he'll introduce me to new ideas, new places, new people!
It is, however, worth mentioning that one of the things that I learned from my last major experience living with roommates is how important it is to discuss expectations, boundaries, and set clear guidelines for living together. It can be really difficult to find good people with whom you get along on both a personal level and practical level. Prior to finding this apartment, Brett and I met up for a drink so we could suss out the details of the house, figure out what was important to one another, and get to know each other before moving forward. Thankfully, it seems like our values align pretty closely, which is something of a relief. From our conversation, I don't necessarily have to worry about whether or not this person has a dependency problem or if he'll take my things without asking or if he's not discussing something with me if he's upset. Honestly, I think one of the best things about growing up and becoming an adult is learning how to have those tough conversations and based on the things that we talked about over drinks, I get the impression he feels the same way.
Oh, how I wish that June first were tomorrow! I just can't wait to live my life again. All of my belongings, all of the stuff that makes a house a home has been packed away since January, gathering dust in boxes where they can't be used, can't be loved, can't be shared. Just last week, another co-worker asked me to fix a ripped seam on one of her jackets and despite my effort, I couldn't find any of my sewing gear amongst the boxes stashed away in my mother's basement. While I recognize that things don't make a person who they are, they are an expression of personhood. To be confined to a bedroom that doesn't belong to me surrounded by things that don't belong to me makes a person feel out of place, out of sync.
And I can name at least one person who can attest to how much I can make a house feel like a home. I'm so looking forward to that.
So, in exactly eighteen days and now nineteen hours, I will be well on my way to setting my feet on new ground. With any luck, I'll be fortunate enough to stay there for a long, long while. Till next week!
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