My 8am alarm woke me this morning, and I found there was the lovely, sound of rain on the roof. I didn't want to get out bed because I was so comfortable - and the rain was so calming, and it was 8th, September.
This date may not mean much to you guys, okay a birthday, anniversary or the date of when somebody passed away maybe, but for me, today is the day - to the date - that I moved out of my folks' house and into a place of my own, on my own sixteen years ago.
It was daunting, scary and weird... and I didn't have much in the way of possessions, just a folding chair, a plastic box, a bookcase and a little black television set (which my brother lovingly called 'the porthole' due to its size). The room with the most furnishings was my bedroom and the kitchen didn't have much either - thank goodness I had a Glory Box with items in it for when I either moved out or got married.
But the first two years were the hardest for me. I was scared, nervous, intimidated by everyone, and not knowing how to be friends with anyone. I didn't want to get involved with my neighbours, but somehow did and regretted doing so.
And over time, I eventually made up my own mind over who to be friends with, who to talk to, what I wanted to do, where I wanted to go, who to have at my place and who not to invite over. It was all a matter of not trusting anyone but myself. Sounds harsh but it's true.
The older I got, the less I trusted people, the more next door neighbours who came and went. Some of them stuck around for a few years, while others were gone in a blink of an eye; and then there were others still who were evicted and then there were the ones who could smell the eviction notice coming and vanished into the ether.
I have seen all kinds of things happen around here and have often talked with the police, who have become harder to talk to as their jobs have become more difficult to do. At times, I've found myself hiding from the noises around the place in the middle of the night, instead of being in my comfy bed with all my lights off wondering if it stop - while most nights I've slept the night through and we haven't been bothered by anything.
Every couple of years, I've changed something about my townhouse - be it the garden or the interior - and it's looked and felt different each time. In the past few years, I've made a big change to the furnishings, giving it a 70's theme and it's really gone well! I love the feel it gives off and enjoy the warmth of the browns and earth tones... and yet, there's the modern technology mixed into it as well.
This year, I changed up the back garden completely renovating it over the past 3 months; and it's going really well! Just as I've put down grass seed, it's begun to rain and the sun has started to shine into the back garden in the afternoons, thus it'll all started to become lush and green again.
Yes, sixteen years in one place has made my little townhouse look not so different from the outside, but feel like a castle on the inside. And that's the thing: your house is your home and your castle. No matter where you lay your hat, you make your place feel the way you want it to. I've seen the inside of many townhouses here at the unit complex, and there's not much going for them inside; simply because the people aren't putting in the effort.
I started out with nothing in my house... and now it's built into a place I look forward to coming home to. I enjoy being at home on the weekends. I love sitting out in my back garden at any time of the day or night. Once the doors are closed and the curtains are drawn, the outside world not longer exists and I'm in my own world - and that's what a home is supposed to make you feel like. And when I move from here, and take my things with me, I'll be able to do the exact same thing with my belongings to the next place I live in for however long I'm there for.
This date may not mean much to you guys, okay a birthday, anniversary or the date of when somebody passed away maybe, but for me, today is the day - to the date - that I moved out of my folks' house and into a place of my own, on my own sixteen years ago.
It was daunting, scary and weird... and I didn't have much in the way of possessions, just a folding chair, a plastic box, a bookcase and a little black television set (which my brother lovingly called 'the porthole' due to its size). The room with the most furnishings was my bedroom and the kitchen didn't have much either - thank goodness I had a Glory Box with items in it for when I either moved out or got married.
But the first two years were the hardest for me. I was scared, nervous, intimidated by everyone, and not knowing how to be friends with anyone. I didn't want to get involved with my neighbours, but somehow did and regretted doing so.
And over time, I eventually made up my own mind over who to be friends with, who to talk to, what I wanted to do, where I wanted to go, who to have at my place and who not to invite over. It was all a matter of not trusting anyone but myself. Sounds harsh but it's true.
The older I got, the less I trusted people, the more next door neighbours who came and went. Some of them stuck around for a few years, while others were gone in a blink of an eye; and then there were others still who were evicted and then there were the ones who could smell the eviction notice coming and vanished into the ether.
I have seen all kinds of things happen around here and have often talked with the police, who have become harder to talk to as their jobs have become more difficult to do. At times, I've found myself hiding from the noises around the place in the middle of the night, instead of being in my comfy bed with all my lights off wondering if it stop - while most nights I've slept the night through and we haven't been bothered by anything.
Every couple of years, I've changed something about my townhouse - be it the garden or the interior - and it's looked and felt different each time. In the past few years, I've made a big change to the furnishings, giving it a 70's theme and it's really gone well! I love the feel it gives off and enjoy the warmth of the browns and earth tones... and yet, there's the modern technology mixed into it as well.
This year, I changed up the back garden completely renovating it over the past 3 months; and it's going really well! Just as I've put down grass seed, it's begun to rain and the sun has started to shine into the back garden in the afternoons, thus it'll all started to become lush and green again.
Yes, sixteen years in one place has made my little townhouse look not so different from the outside, but feel like a castle on the inside. And that's the thing: your house is your home and your castle. No matter where you lay your hat, you make your place feel the way you want it to. I've seen the inside of many townhouses here at the unit complex, and there's not much going for them inside; simply because the people aren't putting in the effort.
I started out with nothing in my house... and now it's built into a place I look forward to coming home to. I enjoy being at home on the weekends. I love sitting out in my back garden at any time of the day or night. Once the doors are closed and the curtains are drawn, the outside world not longer exists and I'm in my own world - and that's what a home is supposed to make you feel like. And when I move from here, and take my things with me, I'll be able to do the exact same thing with my belongings to the next place I live in for however long I'm there for.
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