AXIS OF NEW NORMAL
… moments of truth in Millrise
Wednesday Apr. 30, 2014
Most things, essentials that matter most for my day-to-day functioning have been moved. Lots yet to be culled, moved, given away or trashed.
This transition/disposition continues – it has to, because everything will not fit here.
We will be fine here. We’ll be OK – this sense of home (owning), place-making (not-being-someone’s-tenant), sense of strangeness (perhaps what Gusta is experiencing) like waking up on opposite side from usual in an unfamiliar bed, in some hotel room somewhere, with temporary loss of equilibrium, without a clear sense of where you are.
I am right here, right where I want to be.
Two and half years ago I moved from 1,400 sq. ft. + basement townhouse to 950 sq. ft. one.
Each of those, like this place was a two-bedroom unit. I use one for my home-office.
This one, is all on one floor (no stairs makes my middle-aged knees happy), is more than ample, completely adequate – but smaller.
I’m resisting the easy temptation of an off-site storage solution.
My last move caused considerable downsizing – and now this one. I’ve kept a few of my dad’s things I deliberately didn’t sell. Moving/amalgamating my things to this smaller-yet place has offered me another reduce my footprint opportunity.
There is, it seems, a lot more to this than moving some things.
Why was it such a priority/rush to get so much moved yesterday and today? Aside from reaching that tipping point where ‘all the kitchen is now moved’ (and, where I am now cooking/eating – table and chairs can come later!), the question was one of when do I change where I’m sleeping, where my clothes are hinged on a critical date which was ‘move the technology day’ (phone, fax, computers, office activities). That all happens this morning (Shaw have given me a window of 9-noon) so it was essential to finish moving the essentials yesterday – and more today so functioning here, in this place, can begin ….
Finding, fitting into, some form of new-normal routine.
In fourteen years my dad lived in this condo (Millrise Point in south-south Calgary) I’d only spent one night here (when he had day-surgery and needed to be watched overnight).
Now I’ve spent another.
How does that feel, to have spent my first night as owner/occupant and chief janitorial officer?
I wondered about that – about how it would feel. Emotionally – too soon to articulate fully, but, in a word, calm. As for how do I feel physically? In one word, sore! My lower back – for fetching, kvetching, lugging several car-loads yesterday.
Today is ‘set up home office’ day. Full move (big furniture and so-on) will limp along for another couple of weeks – I’m not in a hurry now that this tipping point has come/passed.
Key things on my mind this morning: would newspapers arrive at their new destination as booked? Yes they did! Would Gusta be silent/well behaved and banal, would she adjust easily to this new setting?
And, would this new setting adjust to her?
So far she is action a little strange. A little like a confused disoriented child. A little like a pup enthusiastic to explore everything new within sniffing distance.
She knows so many things are familiar – but seems part disoriented, part surprised she has a new view of the outside world (her nose prints already adorn the patio door). She recognizes me, my things, her toys, her dishes – and I think she remembers this place from times I brought her along to visit my dad. Maybe she detects some lingering odour of him. Or memory?
Some days are highly significant ones.
Others, just days, like any other.
Maybe, tomorrow, or some day soon, I’ll know and fully appreciate what this is.
Mark Kolke
198,272
column written/ published from Calgary
morning walk: 2C/35F, new route/new home, new vantage points and so much un-sniffed territory to explore that Gusta missed the best sight of all – a glorious sunrise over Fish Creek Park, spilling burnt orange onto empty sky, a burst of liquid colour exploded, then muted. No critter sightings though there will be many (last night, when I was pulling out of the parking garage to go for my last load – two deer meandered by, examining the cars at the Nissan dealership, slight disoriented I suppose, exploring but probably wanting to find their way back to the park
