This year was wild! It was an emotional rollercoaster, stressful, wonderful, horrifying, brilliant and, well, life at its finest. I survived to tell the tale!
AWESOME THINGS:
TAROT READING: Early in 2024 I had a tarot reading done. It was very informative and interesting. She said all kinds of incredibly accurate things, BUT then she said 2024 is the year I will MOVE! I started crying. Really! I started crying! She had no idea I was planning to put my house up for sale. Amazing.
MOVING: And I moved! "Moving" should also go under HORRIBLE things, too, due to the stress. But when all hope was lost, I kept chanting defiantly, “NO! AILENE SAID I WAS GOING TO MOVE THIS YEAR! NOT NEXT YEAR! NOT ANOTHER YEAR! THIS YEAR! I AM MOVING THIS YEAR!” And I did. As I drove away from Rathole in a Uhaul with what was left over of my worldly belongings, I had this odd sense of calm wash over me. I kept yelling at my friend who was in the co-pilot seat, “I FEEL SO CALM!” Nineteen years of anxiety, stress, and depression just melted away as I drove away!
SELLING: I started my marathon of downsizing last year and I just kept on going through 2024! I sold a four-bedroom house packed to the rafters worth of junk. I sold childhood memories, accumulated free junk, furniture, and about one hundred and fifty art history books plus another fifty or so non-art books! I still have the ads and photos and when I look through them, I am in disbelief! Near the end, I was giving things away, donating, and just chucking it in the garbage. I still ended up with too much: eighty boxes, two tables, five chairs that go with those tables, a bike, a bunch of art, and a twin bed frame. The leftovers are still being sold little by little to empty out the storage unit. I only cried twice. Once when I sold my rabbit statue that reminded me of my bunny and when I sold Kitty, the doll I had since I was four years old....But I was happy she got a new home instead of ending up in the garbage or worse, buried in the woods (as one friend suggested).
MAJOR SELLING: I sold my house! It almost didn't happen. It was close. All spring and summer - high season for real estate sales - and nothing. When I put it up for sale in May there were few houses in my area on the market and I was very happy and hopeful with the lack of competition. When June came around, everyone had their house up for sale! It was very discouraging watching my neighbors’ houses sell and mine just sit there. Actually, it was incredibly stressful. Would I be forced to stay another winter in rainy cold Rathole? Would I be responsible for financially maintaining both a house and an apartment? If you have seen photos I have posted, my house was a little unusual with bright walls, painted walls, floors and ceilings, painted switchplates and furniture, and all manner of crazy creativity. It’s not for everyone. However, many people, including some I didn’t even know, would approach me and ask, “Is your house the creative, colorful one being sold? Oh, I wish I could buy it!” I don’t know if they were just being polite, but it gave me hope.
But still no offers. I found out of the three agents in my area, two of them weren’t showing it because there was a request to be fragrance-free and they couldn’t be bothered to go without stink in order to show it. Prospective buyers still showed up stinking of laundry detergent or shampoo. What a nightmare! I lowered the price. Nothing. I lowered the price again drastically and I got ONE offer in the fall. These people had inspections done on three other houses and deemed them not well-cared for enough. I had no hope since my house is over 100 years old, but they bought it! I am still amazed and thankful! I feel so free! No more house maintenance. No more cleaning gutters and windows. I don't care if the fence falls apart every winter or if the trees blow over onto the roof! Most importantly, no more bad neighbors. If I wasn’t so excited, relieved and thrilled it sold, I would put it under HORRIBLE for the nervous breakdown experience.
THE VAN!!!: I finally bought a van! After searching for a van for nearly a year, buying Big Blue was sudden, easy, and comfortably meant to be. I was not prepared to move into a van and live in one, but I did, mostly out of necessity. The very steep learning curved adventure commenced! I really should put this under the SO-SO category since the adjustment was anything but awesome, but after two years of researching and planning, I finally did it and that is awesome! I renamed her Bluega, like beluga only blue, because she's a whale when trying to park! No more rent costs or utility payments. Free to travel and explore. The adventure begins!
FRAGRANCE-FREE MCS FRIENDS! I finally found my tribe! It’s amazing going to social functions with these people and not have to worry about being poisoned!
FRIENDS: I made more friends here in Tucson in the first
two weeks than I did in Rathole in nineteen years!
CYCLING: Tucson has cycling clubs, cycling paths, cycling shops, cycling swap meets (the biggest in the country), and cyclists. Lots of cycling! It's amazing to be able to ride my bike again after it's been stored in a closet for nearly twenty years. The first time I got teary-eyed. I have found an older women's group to ride with...more my speed! Excellent.
PEN PALS: I love my pen pals! Not only is letter writing good entertainment, but with this move it provided much needed stability and support. One of my pen friends sent me a collaged card she made in honor of my move that I received my first day in Tucson! I love it! I felt so honored.
SO-SO THINGS:
TUCSON: I moved to Tucson. I don't know. Initially I was really excited. Then I encountered the worst human on earth (see below under REALLY, REALLY HORRIBLE EXPERIENCES...) which greatly affected my feelings for Tucson It should have been great. This city has a multiple chemical sensitivity community, an art community, sunshine and dry weather most of the time, a lot of health- oriented grocery stores, lots of friendly people, and the whole city is one big bike lane! What could go wrong? I now see the bad roads, bad drivers, constant congestion, expensive food, and Republicans. It's definitely not warm here in the winter at night dipping into the 30s, but it's not raining. I was hoping my health would improve as so many have claimed, but it has only seemed to get worse. I wrote a summary post on Tucson.
ART: I tried joining some art groups: plein art and watercolor, but 1) the artist-members were really talented which made me feel stupid, and 2) when life got stressful, I stopped going. Maybe I’ll try again in the future.
UHAULING: I feel really proud I packed up what was left of my house into a Uhaul truck and drove all the way across four states. Driving 9 hours one day, then 15 hours, then 12 hours, then 3 hours was exhausting. My friend came with for company and that was fun. The truck was on the verge of breaking down the whole trip and we couldn't remove the key out of the ignition unless we wanted to be stranded. We slept at rest stops and truck stops. Then I unpacked the truck myself. Did I really do that? At my age?
REALLY, REALLY HORRIBLE EXPERIENCES:
THE PSYCHOPATHIC LANDLADY PIECE OF GARBAGE: I rented a tiny apartment from an elderly, possessive, self-centered, egocentric, obsessive psychopath who was in my face everyday criticizing, questioning, demanding and compulsively pathologically lying every step of the way. I was so incredibly stressed out and unable to function, tiptoeing around in my own home and afraid to touch silverware for fear she’d hear me, and paranoid as hell. When she'd hear me open my door on arrival, she's show up on my patio demanding to discuss some imaginary issue or demanded to know what I might be doing that she didn't like. She instructed me on requirements for cleaning the apartment and even what products to use, what I was allowed to do, what I can bring into the apartment, when I could use the patio at my door, threatened me if I left the gate unlocked, on and on and on. If I asked her a question or informed her of anything, she perceived it as a personal attack and would become vengefully defensive. Then she began wafting scented something through the HVAC system and that was my breaking point. I saw a lawyer and started defending myself. She eventually agreed with me this wasn’t working for either of us and let me out of my one-year lease. Thank god for small miracles! I can't believe I survived that. I will never in my life rent again.
THE PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION: How does that happen? What is the point of voting if my vote doesn’t count because of this idiotic electoral college? It was rigged. Men with money who have friends with money can get away with nearly anything. Money and male dominance is the American way. I've heard about some of the voting statistics and how they aren't making sense. But this is our political system. I’m sick to my stomach. But at one point I told a friend if voting for the buffoon would make this psychopathic witch disappear out of my life, I would in a heartbeat!
RENTAL SEARCH: I was so stressed out knowing if someone bought my house, and I only had thirty days to move, would I be able to find a safe place to live? I made two trips to Tucson and couldn't find much. I finally settle on a tiny apartment owned by a woman who claimed to be fragrance-free who ended up to be a raving psychopath (see above). The stress of it all was unimaginable. I don't ever want to do that again ever!
NEW YEAR'S RESOLUTION FOR 2025: I don't have one. I told a friend I have had so many things happen in the last year, so many goals met, so many dreams fulfilled, I've had enough resolutions come true in 2024 to last me at least five or ten years. Maybe my resolution is to be calm, stress-free, and happy?
