"The Apartment" went to hell in a handbag. (Is that a southern colloquialism or is it universal?) I was trying to be practical, at first glance, it wasn't my first choice of living quarters, but I thought I could make it work, with cleaning and some paint, etc. First, it was the bees and wasps, not just a few, but an infestation. Cute little honey bees, hm? Nope. Don't get me wrong. I love bees. I love honey. But not in my WALLS. The landlord tore bricks out of the exterior to get them smoked out and they simply moved to the other wide of the building (still my apartment). Landlord did not replace bricks, and with rain and southern humidity, I soon had... MUSHROOMS growing through my bathroom ceiling!! It was (and still is) surreal. After a lengthy bit of time, Landlord came and tore out ceiling, spraying something to kill mold (ha!) and said he repaired plumbing leaks overhead. Nope. Guy upstairs flushes or takes shower... well, you get the picture. Actually, I wish I had taken some pictures... well, maybe not. Kitchen sink drains into floor, couldn't wash dishes for over a week... yikes. Then lady upstair's dryer starts venting into my dryer. I came home late at night from second job and my apartment is stifling hot and I can't breathe for the dryer sheets. Welcome to my life in hell for 3 months. Finally, said to heck with it and rented storage space, moving truck, and got out. Whew. Still recovering and here it is a month later.
I hope I never have to go through anything like that again. I'd love to hear your horror stories. Personally, I feel like mine is the cake topper, but I could be wrong. Now, why the title "It's all in the attitude" for this post? I was actually quite proud of mine. After an initial thorough meltdown, I was grateful for the 4:00 a.m. inspiration to move in with my mom and put my things in storage (again). Initially, I was hopeful of being a blessing to her, with grass mowing, and possibly helping her have that yard sale she's always talking about. I thought, with these crazy economic times, and the upcoming elections looming (I tend to get negative about our future), it'd be good for all our little family to be under one roof. I've learned a lot about how to get along and what's important this past year. I thought I could do it. And, I have done much better this time around. (Am I the only 57 year-old woman who has moved back in with her mom countless times?) I'd love to hear your stories about this, too! I alternate between moving to the west coast (think Oregon and California) and back to my home town every 1-7 years!
The big difference this time has been that I know I am responsible for my happiness. I am no longer blaming her, at least not for very long, when things go wrong. I'm realizing I am the Big Bad Bear, not her. She's just this little old lady who gets pretty crusty, controlling and complaining (most of the time, lol). And I can see me following in her footsteps, if I'm not pretty darn careful. It does take a huge effort, at least for me, to change. And, I'm grateful, that Dr. Greg Baer (www.reallove.com) has said, that some people never recover from childhood abuse, in an entire lifetime. Years ago, I would beat myself up because I wasn't healed yet. Nowadays I am amazed when I catch myself not responding in a way I would have even a year ago. I am changing. Maybe not as fast or as much as I'd like sometimes, but I am changing. If I keep it up, just think of how far I might get in this little lifetime that I have left to me. See, it really is all in the attitude.
This link will help you with yours, I hope. http://www.marcandangel.com/2012/07/18/5-character-traits-that-make-you-happy/
Oh gosh - I did not know about all that! I knew you'd moved in with your mom, but I didn't know all that had happened with the other place! You poor thing!
ReplyDeleteThankfully, that chapter is over.
ReplyDelete