In 2021, I’ve joined a community of women in which we all respond to a writing prompt each week. Some of these pieces may make it here…others I’ll keep to myself. Below is a note to our apartment here in The Netherlands (Ezelsveldlaan). It includes a reference to our home in Colorado as well (Lima). Enjoy!
Rhythm No. 9
Write a thank you note to a place.
Your favorite coffee shop, the park that your kids will play at for hours, your favorite beach, your kitchen table…
_____
It's easy to overlook our places.
This week, take a minute to be grateful for them.
We toured her and considered saying “no” based on her condition.
A dirty couch…blinds pulled closed resulting in ominous lighting…a shower with nasty tiles in desperate need of a deep clean.
Yet something spoke to us. She checked the basic boxes we needed. And so, we said ok.
Upon move-in we discovered that the “deep-clean” she was pledged to have received fell woefully short.
The dust-bunnies under the bed and the still-molding tiles evidenced this to us.
Not long after our move, her kitchen drain would stop-up, leading to a dramatic overflow of the dishwasher onto the kitchen floor.
Within a few months, I discovered (to my horror) why our clothes continued to smell “musty” post-wash.
We took each of these in-stride…caring for her needs one by one.
Dust-bunnies were swept…
A new bed was purchased…
Tiles were scrubbed and bleached…
A new shower-curtain was engineered…
And even the washer received a deep-cleaning, particularly aimed at the mold behind the laundry-detergent-tray.
We brought in plants and new lighting, making a fool out of ourselves biking from IKEA with a full-sized tree.
Christmas lights were hung from her tall windows to combat the “dark-days” of Winter.
And before I knew it…she had become “home”.
As we served her, she began to serve us back…
Her giant windows offered open brightness during Corona lockdown, and afforded us a view of the “big boats” as they cruised through the canal.
She established our love of concrete floors, and made us aware of the type of bathroom sink we definitely don’t want in the future.
Her “limited” accessibility features have proven that we don’t need perfect ADA compliance in order to make a space work for me.
She has taught us that semi-gloss paint is better when it comes to cleaning scuff-marks off of white walls, we don’t need a huge closet, and that a giant soaker bathtub might just be a must in our next home.
She has provided for us a place to rest…a place to process…a place to play…a place to host.
We’ve laughed, we’ve cried, we’ve learned, we’ve grown…
We’ve developed cooking skills, piano skills, puzzling skills, and added new games to our repertoire.
We’ve watched shows and movies while serving fancy ramen, sweet popcorn, and carrot cake to friends…albeit tiny groups of them.
Within her walls I’ve finally pursued counseling, and have begun to reflect and write regularly; reconnecting with myself…and working to do so with the world.
It’s here that I’ve discovered the blessing of living on one level…and it’s she who has given me the confidence to let Lima go.
So, Ezelsveldlaan, to you I say thank you. I will forever be grateful for the lessons you’ve taught us, and for the place of respite you’ve offered to a couple in need of rest.
