Painting.
Oct. 4, 2105
This painting hangs on my living room wall. One day, I hope it will be one of many paintings hung on many walls in a house I hope to own. But for now, I will settle for a plain one-bedroom apartment with a balcony for a backyard and a kitchen with barely enough counter space on which to cook spaghetti.
I'm blessed to have Richard who loves me. We're blessed to have an apartment that’s not the fanciest, but does not burn holes in our wallets either.
As I am typing I am coming to the realization that as great as my desire to get away from the apartment life and delve into home ownership (mortgage-attached) is, he wants it even more. For most of his life, he's lived in an apartment, and now, he is searching for a yard where his chocolate brown French bulldog named Sir Maximus III can play, and for a room dedicated to gym equipment (yes, gym equipment). He doesn't know it is really going to be my library/study, but shh..he doesn't need to know that.
Owning a house means more to him than me. For me, it is having your own space and of course, having a place to call your own. But, living in an apartment can give you that as well. So, I go on to reason that a house is also about holding gatherings, hosting holiday parties, and having three more rooms to check for burglars when you've come home after a late night movie. For him, yes, it is about having a place to call your own. But what's more, it is loving and taking pride in the very fact that this is your home. (Your house.) YOUR home. A place you've put all your blood, sweat, and tears into earning. One you’ve added your own personal touches to—without a landlord yelling at your ear that something you’ve done is against community policy.
I want to make that happen for us. And I know Richard does, too. I see my friends purchasing homes one after the other. And I pray for self-restraint, for the strength to save and not to spend, but most of all for patience. Lord knows I need it. If only I had been saving the last 10 years. HA! Hindsight is 20/20. But now my age is 30/30, and frivolous spending is simply not cute any more.
Sometimes, I wish millions of dollars could drop into my lap. It could happen, yea? At this rate, and when I say rate, I really mean my “hourly” rate, it could take a few years. To get where I (we) want to be. If only I had a better-paying job, a job that entails something I actually love doing, but who gets that nowadays? At least, not me.
Anyhow, I’ll take happiness for now. For always. But, it will be interesting to see where this road takes us. If we can reach our goals and achieve our dreams. I don’t mind working hard for it one bit. As long as I know, I’m going to get there. (With him by my side of course. Sorry, he’s kind of my other half. We're sort of a package deal.)
So, that painting looks good on that wall, but I can’t wait until it is one painting of many paintings hung on many walls in a house he and I own.