JUST ADD FLOWERS

Things can be in disarray. With boxes and furniture scattered about. Yet somehow the presence of something small and of beauty, such as a glowing candle or a vase of peach-coloured spray roses, can change your perspective. Even for a little while.

Though I find it quite convenient to live across the street from both the middle school and high school, the constraints of apartment life over the past several years are starting to take its toll.

That brief period of time when we lived in a spacious rental home had its moments of bliss. A fireplace, large kitchen with many cabinets for storing all of my cooking and baking supplies, four bedrooms, two living rooms, and a backyard with birds and racoons. It also had its frustrations. Specifically, the long drive and wait in traffic to and from the two different schools – the elementary school was elsewhere.

The sharp rise in the costs of housing – both renting and buying – coupled with the reality of being a single mother with an income insufficient for a larger residence, tends to bring on a sense of helplessness. That feeling of being cagey as you shuffle furniture around the small space in hopes of making things work for as long as possible.

It’s been close to two years in this two-bedroom apartment and several more at the three other apartments I have lived in at this complex. Certainly, I am grateful to have a roof over my head. At the same time, that is coupled with impatience and the desire to just be able to find a place where the children and I can bring over friends. Where we can have plenty of space to move around, in general, and to explore the world of virtual reality without hitting the nearby furniture. For now, I will continue to just add flowers on the table as I work towards that dream.