If we were having coffee, we’d be talking about house hunting.
I’m staying with my college friend right now, but her lease is up at the end of July–so I need to find a place by the first of August. I’ve been scouring the internet looking for housing opportunities and I’ve been feeling a lot of stress.
If we were having coffee, I’d tell you that I thought I had one. A place to live in DC. I met with the roommates and we seemed to get along well, I liked the location, but the application ended up falling through. I took it real hard and had a bit of a rough day on Tuesday, as a result. Towards the end of the day, I realized–there are so many other housing options in DC. So many people looking for roommates. So many rooms opening up. I had gotten it in my head that this house was the only one…but it’s not. I feel so rushed because there are only a couple weeks left of July now, but a lot can happen in a couple weeks. I’m certain I’ll find a place. Plus, this house was the very first one I toured–it honestly seemed too good to be true in getting into the first place I toured…and I guess it was. Something else will come along in time.
If we were having coffee, I’d tell you that I’ve had a mix of good and bad days this week. House hunting is stressful…especially on a time limit…and I’m eager and anxious to get into a place of my own. I think, another part of me is anxious about actually settling down. Though I know this is what I need and want right now, I’ve gotten so used to wandering in this past year–and the idea of setting down roots does make me a bit apprehensive. Moving to DC and starting a life here has been my dream for so long. Now that I’m actually in the process of making that happen, it’s kind of freaking me out. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, though–if it scares you, your probably doing something right. I’ve been reminding myself lately that my life is really just beginning. The life I’m passionate and excited about living, that is. I’m only 23. I have so many more years ahead of me to travel and create adventures and move around. I also think setting down roots and staying in one place for a bit is another sort of adventure. One that I desperately need right now.
If we were having coffee, I’d tell you that I’ve finally getting hours at the coffee shop. It’s been busy and overwhelming–so much more overwhelming than my espresso bar job at the gas station last summer–but every day that I go in, I feel a bit more comfortable. I’m also keeping in touch with one of the temp agencies I’m working with and they are doing a great job on keeping me posted regarding potential work. I passed up a writing and editing opportunity this week because it wasn’t easily accessible by public transport (and I’m planning on selling my car soon), but hopefully something else will come up soon!
If we were having coffee, I’d talk about all the bad things that have been happening in the world lately. I’m aware of these tragedies. Philando Castile’s death in Minnesota hit particularly close to home because I’m from the Minneapolis area, but everything else encompassing the race issues happening in the US (is this 1968 all over again?) to Nice and attacks around the world that seem to be filling the news daily–I’m aware of them and I’m saddened by them. I’ve thought about writing about them, but I’m not really sure how to. Anything I could say would feel forced and fake–maybe it’s because I feel it’s not really my place to say anything. In our social media-centered world, we’ve come to believe that we all have a voice that matters. I don’t really know that I believe that. I believe in the power of words. I’m a writer. Of course I believe that. When it comes to these situations, though–these horrible tragedies that seem to be happening almost daily now, I think social media sometimes does more harm than good. It seems that writing something about it is almost expected of people. It seems that if we don’t post anything, we just don’t care. Or are ill-informed, at that. Perhaps that’s why writing anything feels fake to me, then…because as a writer, that writing would be coming from my head, not my heart–and that doesn’t feel right at all. I think words lose their value when we all end up saying the same thing in order to save face. That seems rather silly to me. I do care. I am saddened. I also don’t need write a blog post to let the world know that.
If we were having coffee, I’d tell you about Yibby. To brighten the mood. My college friend is on vacation right now so I get her bed instead of the lumpy air mattress I have been sleeping on. Her bed comes with a cat–14 year old Yibby who looks way younger than her years. We’ve been spending a lot of time together lately and she’s actually been a great comfort with all the house hunting stress I’ve been experiencing. Maybe getting a cat is in my future.
If we were having coffee, I’d be ready to switch it off to you–and I’d ask if you have anything to share over coffee
This post is part of the Weekend Coffee Share link up at Part-Time Monster
It's a Britta Bottle! 
Stress is inevitable when house-hunting, job-hunting, or both. I can say that I’m in the same boat as you: I recently had a job opportunity that fell through and took it really hard, too. There’s also the stress of deciding whether or not I should get my Masters, aka going back to school and working at the same time. Oh, what it takes to be a successful twenty-something-year-old, huh? Things will look up, and all we can trust now is time, to make them happen. You got this!
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Yeah, being a young twenty-something is certainly stressful at times. I’m not planning on going back to school any time soon, so I’m not worried about that–but I can tell you that once I’m settled in DC I’m going to want to get up and move again. I’m so restless, but I know I need to stay put in one place for a while. That’s gonna be the hardest thing for me, I think.
I’m confident everything will work out in time. Some days it doesn’t seem like that, but it all will.
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I don’t have much of of voice – it reaches a handful of people mostly with a point of view that is very similar to my own. The problem is, those with a very different point of view yell louder and are heard stronger. So, you know what, if a lot of people like me and you say something in our quiet way, maybe more people will pay attention and hear. And perhaps the racist/xenophobic screaming I hear so loudly in my ear will be muted. I don’t know if your viewpoint is the same as mine, but I do know it can’t be xenophobic or racist! So I think perhaps you should say something. It might be one small point in the large scheme of things, but all of these little points add up to a picture. As they say, the pen is mightier than the sword and you have a sharp pen.
I hope you find someplace to live soon! It has been so many ages since I was in a similar spot, but I do remember the stress.
The picture with Yibby is great – she obviously likes you.
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Haha, Yibby likes me when she wants something (food, attention, someone to scratch her back). That’s most cats, though, right? 🙂
Ah, I don’t know. Maybe I will write something sometime. I just need to do it on my own time. I just find it so annoying when these sorts of things clog up my Facebook newsfeed, etc. and when people try to shove their political/social agenda down mine and other people’s throats. I don’t care if I agree with them or not, I still find it annoying. To me, everything that is happening in the world is so interconnected–the racism, the xenophobia, the increased nationalism in both Europe and the US, as well as with ISIS. It’s so complicated and people try to water it down to these completely black and white situations. It’s so easy to do that in a short social media post, too. I find it really aggravating because there is so much more to what’s happening than meets the eye. There are historical implications (I’m thinking of every single other time in history when we’ve experienced increased nationalism, racism, and xenophobia and what we can draw from those occurrences in our present day situation); there are social implications; there are the implications of living in the twenty-first century when we have access to media at the click of a button, when we can live stream a man being shot. Maybe I’m put off by writing because so much of what I see is people spouting opinions left and right without considering these implications at all. I guess I can’t help but wonder if some of these people even know what they’re fighting for–or if they’re just participating to follow the crowd. Maybe that’s pessimistic of me, but I think it’s a valid concern. It’s like “Make America Great Again.” What does that even mean? It’s a catchy slogan, yes, but it’s also easier to follow a catchy slogan void of meaning than a lengthy political agenda that aims towards real progress. If I do write anything, I need to do it on my own time. Not because I feel like I have to, but because it’s the right space and the right time to share my thoughts.
Thanks on the housing, Trent. It’s a tough and stressful market out there.
p.s. If you made it this far, bravo. It seems I’ve taken your reply as an opportunity to vent a bit.
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I agree. I started my last post saying 1000 words isn’t enough for a synopsis, 1000 pages isn’t enough to even scratch the surface,we need 1000 volumes t make sense of it all. And most people are just following which ever crowd the associate with. People want it simple. Life is so much easier if it is black and white. And Facebook? I spend less than 5 minutes a day there – it’s awful. I starting a very small project where I will introduce ideas that I think contribute to the problem. Just pointing out a direction to look. Anyway, it’s OK to vent 😉 Have a great week and good luck with the housing search!
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Yeah, Facebook is terrible. I’m trying to spend less time there–but that’s not always successful.
That sounds like a fantastic project, Trent. It is so much easier to see black and white, but it’s also leads to far less productivity in making real and lasting change. People, unfortunately, tend to like to make things easier for themselves, though.
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Oh man…The stress of looking for a place to live on a deadline is a difficult one. We had a similar situation with a house when I initially moved to NOLA—thought we’d found the one, then it got away before we could move in—but in the long run, I think the place we ended up in was better for us, and we lived there 3 years before moving into our new place. Anyway, I hope you find something soon!
Glad the kitty is giving you some comfort, too. 🙂 Animals can be amazing comfort during stressful times. My husband and I have talked several times about how our dog has helped both of us with depression and stress. So yes, get a cat if you can work it out, and if not, borrow one for snuggling on occasion! 😀
Good luck with the job thing—I’m dealing with a similar issue, and that adds a whole other layer of stress, especially when thinking about places to live and whatnot.
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Ah, it sure is, Diana! Thanks so much, I hope so too.
Yes, Yibby has been so great! She can be so annoying at times but let’s face it, she’s so adorable that I can’t stay mad at her for long. Definitely a good pal to have during this stressful time of mine.
Hope your job search pans out well, too!
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Thank you! 🙂
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Good Luck with you house hunting.
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Thank you!
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Good luck with the house hunting! Being under a time limit is so stressful. Yibby is so cute and I’m glad she is brightening your mood a bit.
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Thanks so much! It is stressful, but I’m confident something will figure itself in time.
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