Well...damned if today hasn't been one of "those" days. My guess is that little things have been happening, and I have been too tired to notice - but today, I noticed.
For the last few days, I have been being pulled to begin looking for a more permanent place to live. I really have 6 more weeks before my rent is done here - but then this thought came: you might just have to "eat" the rent you've paid for your room for February. I continued to flow with this thought - I waited to see where the path led.
This morning, I woke up at 5:50, and I was led to my computer to continue the search for places that I had started yesterday. I found a little 2-bedroom in Tarrytown - first floor in an old Victorian house, $1700. Now - while that is a shitload of money in the Midwest, I need to "frame" this for you. The cheapest 2 bedroom that I had been able to locate was $2000, and it was a ways from work and other amenities. The most expensive was $2700 (yes, per month), and it was a HUGE two bedroom in a complex that - granted - had a balcony view of the Hudson River, but also was quite a hike from work and from any "hub" of happening things. A one bedroom studio generally goes for $1500. So - there is the "frame." I didn't realize the spiritual part until I was signing the lease with the broker (yes, there are agents for finding rentals, as well), and here's what we said to each other:
Me: Even when I was in the Midwest, I was drawn to Tarrytown. Then, my cousin's husband suggested I try Tarrytown. This was followed by a friend saying that I would get to see wonderful towns like "Tarrytown" and "Sleepy Hollow...."
Ricardo the Broker: You know, you are living right on the border between Tarrytown and Sleepy Hollow - right on the border!
Me: Lastly, one of the students at my meet and greet suggested I look at Tarrytown. This morning, when I woke up - I just felt drawn to look at listings. It was funny - I still have a month and a half on my room, but I was drawn to look.
Ricardo the Broker: Ah! You were meant to have this apartment. This morning when you texted me, I already had two applications for this place. I was wondering, "How are they going to choose?" Then, both of them fell through, and I called you. If you believe in God, then you know this was supposed to happen. Somebody was watching out for you.
Me: Yes - I do believe in God. And I think for us, it's a matter of listening and then following what we hear. Sometimes it's easier when I can listen and follow what I'm hearing.
Ricardo the Broker: Yeah - and sometimes we don't listen - and things are not so easy! (he laughs.)
Me: Yeah - and that's when I get hit upside my head a little harder, when I don't hear it the first time.
We both laughed...
As he was telling me that the other two deals had fallen through, I remembered something Nancy Melin - my massage therapist/energy worker had said to me during a session before I left: "There are already angels out there, preparing the way for you." I think today was a perfect example of that. I'm telling you: I believe that there were some forces as work today - and I am so grateful to them and for my ability to listen and follow.
OMG! I just looked up the address on Google and a picture of the house was there. I figured out how to take a screen shot (shift, command, -, 3) - so here are two. One's a little closer than the other.
Anyway - the apartment: It sits on a high hill (EVERYTHING is hilly here. This one is steeper than it looks and may prove to be a challenge if we get icy weather) right on the main street - called Broadway. If I were to take that street south, it would take me right into Manhattan to - you guessed it - whatever play I want to see. It is the same street as THE Broadway in the City. The house doesn't look snazzy on the outside - it is an old Victorian - but the inside is clean, up-to-date, and quaint. It has a "one-butt" kitchen, and a very small breakfast nook. It is much smaller than my kitchen/dining area in La Crosse; however, the two bedrooms and the living room are about the same size as my La Crosse house. The bathroom has an older tub - it is not claw foot, but it does have a nice soaking angle on it, and I believe it is cast iron...think "Gramma Dougherty's" bathroom tub. The bathroom is otherwise unremarkable. Ricardo the Broker pointed out that there was a nice spot for a glass of wine while soaking - and he was correct. There is a stackable washer/dryer unit in a small closet. The ceilings are high, and each closet (3 big ones, I think) has storage on top of it - great big cabinets that the present occupants had filled with camping gear and all sorts of other stuff.
I haven't gotten to the part about what furniture will fit and what won't...what bookshelves to bring...how will I live until I can get more of my stuff out here...none of that seems important right now. It will work. The planning will take care of itself - I am sure of it. Maya may be very happy to know that I don't need the washer or the dryer. :-)
Ricardo the Broker tells me that my location is perfect, and I believe him. It is a 10 minute walk to my acupuncturist in Sleepy Hollow, and a 10 minute walk to the restaurants in Tarrytown, e.g., The Sweet Grass Cafe that I talked about in an earlier post. There is also a Music Hall across the street from the cafe where they bring in musicians, a few of whom will be Luden Wainwright III, Iris Dement, and - believe it or not - Dave Mason, among others. A grocery store is about a block down the street, and the town library is across the street. I can walk down to the waterfront and see the Tappan Zee bridge. Today, I could stand on the hill that my house sits on, and see glimpses of the Hudson. In the summer and on holidays, the parades come right down Broadway, and people come to sit on the hill in front of our house to watch. That means I have a ring-side seat for any of the town's hoopla. And here's a kicker: about a block out my backyard is the Croton Aquaduct Trail. This is a trail that goes from God knows where in the north all the way to the City in the south. In fact, a portion of it goes right through Mercy campus. The woods are right there in my backyard. Ricardo the Broker says that there is a Refuge a little further east that I will need a trail map for - otherwise I will get lost. Oh - and did I say that it was only 4.6 miles to work - which might take me 15 minutes or so in heavier traffic? If I get myself in shape, I might even be able to ride my bike right down the trail.
Long story short: I was led to this job. I have now been led to a residence that seems - at least from this early perspective - to support who I am. I am amazingly able to let go of losing a month's rent where I am now living - which I also love, I might say. I feel taken care of.
This Luck Duck is quacking quite contentedly.
