Hello, friends!
My home is my sanctuary. Not only is it the place I decompress and nourish myself, but it also gives me the foundation to go out there and share my work with the world.
This week my safe haven was shaken. I have had mice off and on all winter. It’s par for the course in the neighborhood I’m currently residing in – along with the building being from the 1940s. However, this week – I had what seemed like a large family of mice having a party in my house from 11pm-2am. They were in my kitchen, bedroom, living room and hallway closet. Every time I turned on the lights, they had scurried out of sight. When I got back into bed, they would start up again. At 1:30am on Thursday, I started looking for a new apartment.
I can live with a lot of things. What I’ve learned I can’t live with is mice. Hearing them in the walls, scurrying around my apartment, finding droppings on my counter. NO THANK YOU. I have tried for 6 months, and I’m at the end of my rope. No apartment is worth having mice as roommates.
Both my father and a dear friend can’t believe I’m moving. “Why don’t you just wear earplugs? The apartment is so nice; you won’t find a better place”, they said.
Deep breath.
What this brings up for me is – why live somewhere that I have to wear earplugs? Why live somewhere I have to put 45 traps out every night before bed AND lift back up again before I get my daughter in the morning? I understand that not everyone can choose where they get to live – due to finances, family etc. But I can choose something else. I love this place – it’s spacious, full of light and in a wonderful location. And because of that, I have endured this winter. I’ve realized that I haven’t slept soundly in a long time. I go to bed every night anticipating hearing my little neighbors in the walls in my home. The tension I’m carrying in my neck is wearing me down. I need to make a change.
Our threshold for what we can and can’t handle changes.
What we choose to accept and live with changes.
What we prioritize changes.
It’s important to check in every so often and see if how you feel and what you’re doing is aligned.
I put forth to you, dear community –
What is acceptable for you right now? Is that choice serving you?
What are you prioritizing right now? Is that serving you and your community?
Is it more important to move forward with what you’re doing, OR is it more important to make a change?
Sending you a warm and gentle hug,
Clara
