Saturday, November 3, 2012

"Don't own so much clutter that you will be relieved to see your house catch fire."
~Wendell Berry


There's a look (above) at most of my house: two small bedrooms in the back, a small kitchen and space for a tiny table to my right, and the living room stretches only about 12 feet to my left. I always wrote on my old blog about wanting to live simpler, with less stuff, and I got my wish. It didn't happen the way I planned, but every single thing I own (except for two pine antiques from England) is in this apartment. And it's not cluttered, either! There's a sense of freedom and lightness in living with less, and I feel nothing but deep gratitude to the Lord for what He has given me. I am very aware of the fact that compared to almost everyone in the world, I am wealthy.

Did I tell you how I ended up here? For a number of reasons, I wanted and needed to leave the awesome little house I lived in until July, and my niece called me one day to say, "Hey, Aunt Susy, I just found a great little apartment close to campus that I'll be renting, and there's going to be a vacancy in the apartment just below me. You should totally check into it. Wouldn't it be fun to live in the same buildng?" And I'm thinking, "How many 18-year-old college students want their middle-aged aunt to live just below them?!" (What a girl!) I checked into it, loved the location, it worked out, and now we're neighbors. It's fun! We share food with each other. Last night my niece texted to see if I wanted to join her to watch an episode of the BBC Sherlock Holmes, so I grabbed an afghan and ran upstairs in my stocking feet. And this morning, she texted me again and said, I'm making pumpkin waffles. If you want some, come on up." I wasn't about to turn down pumpkin waffles or such a great invitation, so I went on up again.

My niece is just one of many great things about living where I do now. I'm thankful.

8 comments:

  1. That's WONDERFUL Susan! I'd LOVE IT if my Auntie lived that close to me. Everyone needs a great Aunt!

    Tyra from the Coffee shoppe

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  2. That's so awesome. Love the little snippet of your home.

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  3. You had me at Pumpkin Waffles :-)

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  4. Just want to say that I am so happy to see you are blogging again, with regularity! :)

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  5. Well, thank you, Tyra, Amy, Susan, and Kristen! :-)

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  6. 27 years ago, I lived with my aunt and uncle in Durham, NC while I was waiting for a student dormitory to open up. I lived with them for a year and a half and to this day, I do not have any memories more special to me then spending time with my favorite aunt - staying up late watching TV, helping prepare meals (on occasion - my aunt was a fabulous cook), and just having someone close by to talk to while I lived away from my own mom and dad. I can really understand your joy in living near your niece. These times will be so special to her as well. Enjoy them for as long as you can. :-)

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  7. Oh! I forgot to add that I love your apartment. Thanks for sharing your photo and your stories.

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  8. That quote by Wendell Berry simply sums up how I’ve been trying to live my life. I don’t really own anything save for my clothes, my books, and quite a number of prized possessions. To give you a clearer picture, if you’d stack them all in a box, I’d say I’d have no more than 2 big boxes, maybe even less. To be honest, I wouldn’t really know what to do with what I have. All I really need are my clothes, a bathroom, a sofa, a fridge, a TV, something to occupy my free time, and a computer where I can do my work. Get me all that, and I’m all set.

    Guy Houchins

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