moving on
Taken about a month after we moved in (a little over 3 years ago).
I am living in a home that will soon be another’s. It hit me last Saturday afternoon, when the realtor came in to show the apartment to a few prospective renters. Despite all the problems we’ve had with this place—constantly clogged drains, leaks, sudden water temperature changes, neighbors, dealing with the management company—I’m going to miss it terribly. I have loved living here. I love the open layout. I love how the sun pours into the apartment in the late afternoon. I love the area, which is quiet, clean and close to the park. But most of all, I love the memories that we’ve created here. Here is where Bob proposed to me, where I’ve made countless special occasion dinners and where we’ve built a home for ourselves (our very first one together, I might add). We’ve celebrated many occasions, like our housewarmings, New Year’s nights and most recently, our after-holiday party with close friends in which we revealed some big news! This apartment will always have a special place in my heart.
Watching these people walk through and assess what is still our home made me feel strangely territorial but I also wanted to sell them on the perks: “The parking’s not too bad around here”, “The area is quiet and nice”, “The bedroom gets so much sunlight!”. It was like a little tug-of-war in my brain.
Yes, this place will be missed. But I have one foot out the door. I’m ready to move on to the next. It’s funny because about a year ago, I probably would have left kicking and screaming, but now so many things have changed. It’s not just about the trendy or fun neighborhood to live in anymore. Now that we have Bebop and a future home to save up for, it’s about practicality. I know it’s best for us to save money and to live closer to some family, which is exactly what we’re doing. I believe we’ve made the smart decision and that outweighs staying in a neighborhood that we love for the vibe, walkability, food and bars but is rapidly increasing in popularity and price. Plus, our future digs have been painted to our liking and cleaned thoroughly and that’s just kind of exciting for me. The old place was dark and very brown and now it’s light and clean, giving it a more open feel. The baby’s room is a pale grey, which is the perfect complement for the light pink accents I have planned for it. I will get that dream nursery for Bebop after all! In the grand scheme of things, freshly-painted walls aren’t terribly important but they sure do feel good.
In about two weeks, we’ll be saying goodbye to this place for good. I’ve been taking random pictures around the house—mess, flaws and all—just to keep my memory of this place alive and documented. I’ll look back fondly at our time here. I’ll romanticize about the good ol’ days when we were just “kids” and say things like “Things were so simple when we lived there”, “I miss being able to walk to the train station or the grocery store”. But I’ll always remember that our new place will be the source of more wonderful memories and one day I’ll look back at it just as dreamily and think the same exact thing: “I miss that place”.
