The Difference a Good Environment Makes

After a month of struggling with Lupus, unpacking the apartment and dealing with serious space shortage in the midst of the usual administrative issues associated with moving (i.e. lost mail, bill chaos, budget unpredictability, lack of usual meals and comfort zones), we are finally settling in and realizing where we have landed.

I feel like one of those families on cable television reality shows who receive a team of experts to completely clear their clutter, fix their structural and organizational problems and give everything a high gloss of interior fashion. Except of course, I had to clear my own clutter.

Home is home again and no longer a constant source of stress and worry. We have no more wondering when the next thing would break or when someone was going to drop by unexpectedly and have to be headed off at the door. My home is happily open to my family and friends. The kid thoroughly enjoys being able to invite his friends over without a months notice. The kitchen is small but that actually makes it easy to manage. I expend less precious energy walking around and more time completing my tasks efficiently. The dishwasher is amazing. I am sure it is just a generic dishwasher but when the humans were the dishwasher it seemed to take so much time and effort just to keep the kitchen clean. The bathrooms are new and in good working order making them absolutely a breeze to keep clean. If something breaks, I have a support team in the apartment management to call. I don't have to go to the library to check out a book on how to repair anything or figure out what parts to buy.

Being in a house as opposed to an apartment had its advantages and I will miss my garden, but for me and my challenges the decision to suddenly uproot and start over in the apartment put me and the kid in such a better situation. The apartment is sweet and cozy and warming to come home. The complex is set in the middle of a rural golf course with geese, cranes, creeks and gorgeous trees. It is so peaceful and serene to go for a walk.

I am actually looking forward to starting my second job- making handmade goods to sell on Etsy.com and decorating and preparing for Christmas. I am going to love my new home decorated for the holidays and sharing it with my loved ones.

What a difference a good environment makes...Sometimes cultivating a good environment in not so much what you can create but what you can leave behind you.