Ode to My Little Apartment

Ode to my little apartment:

We finally sold our big, fancy house late last year. That house was like a damn albatross around our lives. It was a short sale and took FOREVER to go through, but finally (finally!) we are free of that house.

We unloaded a great deal of our possessions in several garage sales and several trips to Goodwill and eventually to the city landfill. If it didn’t fit in the apartment, it didn’t come with us.

Initially, I was bummed at what I perceived as a step down on the socio-economic ladder. I was so wrong! I feel richer and freer now that we are settled. I am free of never ending housekeeping duties. About the time I got all my chores done in the old place, it was time to start over. I must have spent 20 hours a week just in housekeeping duties. The place was nearly 2000 square feet, with tall vaulted ceilings, three bathrooms, acres of tiled floors and countertops, and a three-car garage that never really managed to get organized. And that was just the indoor tasks that required that level of upkeep.

Just watering my yard every summer took several hours a day of maintenance. We didn’t have luxuries that one would expect in a house that size, such as automatic in ground sprinkler system or a robot vacuum cleaner.  We didn’t earn enough to afford a cleaning service or landscaping maintenance people. We were trying to do it all ourselves while also trying to work full time jobs. It was oppressive!

Now we live in an apartment. It is pretty awesome, with a single car attached garage and a tiny backyard about the size of the living room in my previous home. I spend about 30 minutes a day in house keeping activities. My power bill is smaller and my free time is abundant. I’ve been doing things like reading books, taking walks, baking bread, spending time with my family, and exercising. This is great!

In mere moments I am able to sweep and mop my kitchen. Vacuuming takes 20 minutes a week. Cleaning the whole kitchen, including the stove and fridge takes less than an hour. Yard work? Forget about it! There are grounds keepers that take care of the landscaping in the complex. As for that backyard, it is bark dust with a small concrete patio and a tree. There is a place for the barbecue, a couple of lounge chairs and table and a covered area in case of rain. In Oregon there is a lot of rain, so the cover is much appreciated.

I can never imagine myself returning to a large house ever again. Maybe if I wanted to start a commune I would seek a large home. I have a feeling that my husband would put the kibosh on any commune style living arrangements (he’s a spoil-sport!).

Although I am still in the apartment-honeymoon stage of my domicile relationship, I’m feeling so much better than when we were in that McMansion (ok, I know 2000 square feet is hardly a McMansion, but it was close enough).

Once again, conventional wisdom has failed to offer any kind meaningful insight as to how one should go about pursuing happiness. I’m glad that I had the home ownership experience. It was valuable in many ways to my life. But I’m done with that path, if not forever, at least for now. The lease at our current apartment complex is up in April, when we plan to move to Portland. We’ll stay there for a while, or as long as it suits us. We have talked about buying a big ol’ motorhome and traipsing around the country as the whim strikes us. That’s more my style. Maybe we’ll turn into snowbirds. Or beach bums. Or ski bums. Whatever.

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