A good soul home

I know the real estate and title agents usually try to keep the buyer and the seller of a home apart during the final closing.
My part went quickly.
As I was leaving the buyer was entering.

We had sort of an awkward pause.
He then said "it's great to finally meet you."
He went on to say that he knew this was a very emotional day.
He knew we had lived in the home for over 23 years, knew both children had been born while living there and knew that T had suddenly died.
He said he and his wife knew our home was perfect the first time they walked through.
"Your home had a good spirit, it had a good soul."
He thanked me for the privilege of being able to raise his family in the same home in which I raised my family.
I got a little emotional.
I wasn't expecting this encounter.

All I could humbly say was "thank you."
We shook hands and parted ways.

Our home could have found a better new owner.

Pros>Cons

I've been in the apartment now for a little over a week.
Pros: no needing to keep up the yard and weed the gardens, no need for a pool/appliance/pest control/lawn treatment service, no need for a termite bond, home owners or flood insurance and no real estate/property taxes. Another pro is meeting some new folks.
Cons: smaller digs, a street light directly out my bedroom window, TNTC spiders and some occasional roaches and Dwight alerting/barking every time he hears a door slam shut. Another con is missing my old neighbors.


I'm getting used to less space, I hung black-out curtains in my bedroom, I know I'll get the bug situation under control and I suspect Dwight will get used to the doors slamming, at some point, down the road.


I miss chatting with my neighbors but it's good to meet some new ones.
It's all going to work out.

No expiration date

I received an e-mail today that was addressed to Tori.
It was a reminder that her ARNP license would expire on 4/30/2017.


I can't tell you how many folks have approached me over the last year and 9 months to let me know she was the best, most caring health care provider they had ever encountered.
Her impact on their lives will never expire.

Not as expected

I heard from a friend recently.
She had gone out to lunch with a co-worker whose husband had recently asked for a divorce.
My friend had been through a divorce a couple of years ago.
She said it reminded her to give me a call.
I laughed and said "why did this make you think about me?"
She said that I was someone else whose married life had not turned out as expected and she figured she would touch base to see how I was doing.
I appreciated her call.
I didn't really have a good one-liner as a come-back.
She was right.
My life hadn't turned out as expected.

Can't judge a marriage by social media

A friend recently confided in me about all the trouble he is having in his marriage.
I had no idea.
His wife posts frequently on social media.
All the posts look perfect-in fact, they appear to be a perfect couple.
But all is not as it appears to be.
This was a good reminder that once again, "most everyone you know is fighting a battle of which you may know nothing about."

Broken hearts

Takotsubo syndrome is better known as broken heart syndrome.
It's felt to be a stressed induced cause of heart weakness-a cardiomyopathy.
Most recover but some succumb-die during the acute phase.


I also suspect many going through extreme stress/loss/grief have never been diagnosed.
We're the majority who just slowly recover.