On Tuesday two grad school-aged building managers with name badges and clipboards came by our apartment for our annual health and safety inspection. I was home alone at the time and welcomed them in.
We failed.
I was very embarrassed. After they left, I cried. Then I went to go meet Keith as he was walking home from work and cried to him. Just silly feelings, but they hurt nonetheless.
Too much clutter. Dirty dishes. Mold in our ceiling (which has been there since we moved in & I see more as the university's responsibility). I told them (which was meant as a compliment) that I had only seen one bug the whole time we've lived here. They questioned me to find out what kind it was, deduced without evidence that it was a cockroach, and wrote it down on our evaluation as another category that we failed.
I knew that none of that really mattered, but it just really hurt my feelings.
Especially since much of the clutter was simply stuff we had brought into the apartment from the car after our many recent travels, and we just hadn't had the time to go through it all yet.
We've been wanting and planning to get the place back in order so we can joyfully show hospitality more easily again...
It's just now we will be doing it with a deadline and the added motivation of avoiding eviction.
They'll be back in a week.
I am humbled.
Blessed be the Name of the Lord.
4 comments:
oh darling, I'm sorry! This is another one of those times I wish we lived closer so I could just pop over and lend a hand! I helped my friend Paul go through the entire basement of his "new" house, which used to be his grandmas. The cleaning came to a halt when he found brown recluse spiders and said I couldn't come again to help until they were gone. Anywho, love you dear. One thing I want to try to do is simplify, simplify, simplify. Give it away, sell it and give the money to the poor, whatever. Wouldn't it be nice to move easily, find things easily, and not keep things for that one in a hundred chance I'll need it in the next 20 years? Yeah. Maybe I'll clean out my apartment this weekend too.. you know, a kindred spirit cleaning? Give me a call anytime... I'd love hearing from you randomly!
How long do you see yourself in married-student housing? How long is Keith's program?
I know!!!
Right now all of our possessions seem like such a BURDEN. I just want to be free from it ALL.
Thank you for your support. It menas so much. I, too, wish you were here.
Keith has two years left if we continue this endeavor to completion.
One day at a time, though.
it is amazing how things happen to kindred spirits at the same time.
Why we didn't fail an inspection, (we would if someone did one most likely!)
I have just been freaking out about possesions and material things in general.
We need to talk soon so we don't lose what is happening to all of us.
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