Home sweet home

There was a time not so long ago where I never felt settled in my home life. I never felt like I could kick my shoes off and relax the way I really wanted to, have friends over when I wanted, decorate how I wanted. The places I rented always felt "borrowed" and temporary - as if any minute we'd be picking up and moving somewhere else.

I absolutely hated this feeling.

I remember last spring I woke up one morning and said to my ex, "Let's get rid of everything and start fresh." Of course he didn't feel the same and felt it was wasteful or, worse, crazy. My justification was, "We'd be donating or selling everything so we really had nothing to lose." He still didn't get why we needed to put ourselves through all that hassle. Then again, he was always the logical (safe) one. Whereas me...well, I have crazy ideas and tend to follow them. In art class (for example), I would spend hours on a painting, see it to completion, and then white wash it so I could start again. For the record, my second "go" was far better than the first.

But I digress...

My point of view at the time was that the furniture we had been using, came from relationships past - hand-me-downs from a time when we didn't have the cash to buy something WE liked. We were older now, years into the relationship, and had some cash reserves in the bank. I felt it was about time to start building our home life the way we wanted. Unfortunately (or fortunately) we never got there.

Funny enough though, a year later, I still felt that need of cleansing myself and starting from scratch. So I did and decided Gastown would be where I settled. Not only is it minutes from work but it's around the corner from some of the best eating, drinking, and shopping spots in town. I start to wonder why I didn't do it before. But I know why I didn't and it's ok. The point is, I'm here now and I can't put to words how amazing it feels to be in a place that suits me so well. From the cobblestone streets to the colourful characters who roam those same streets, nothing has felt more right. It's eclectic, it's artistic, it's vibrant, it's home. Finally.