I have a room of my own.
Christina has just left. She drove her hardy Volvo, dubbed "Maple," around the corner of Worth Street and toward New York horizons. It took five minutes to load up her minimal possessions (her irreverence for the materialistic is one of her distinctively beautiful qualities), and as I look around the apartment I see the sprinkling of momentos that she left for me: three colorful wine bottles that had decorated the first room we shared when I moved in, a vibrant blue painting she finished just the other night, some magazine cut-outs that cristened the apartment before we had other decorations, a hand-me-down bookcase.
There are some who have become a significant part of our lives and then must enter into a current that carries them into a different landscape away from us. And the significant ones leave on our spirit a stamp of their essence.
Nonetheless, I feel at peace about her leaving, as if nothing was cut short. Her gentle complacence tells me that she also feels like this chapter has had a proper conclusion.
Now, this.
It is a profound moment for me, because I officially have a place of my own! I have for about thirty minutes, now. This is my first home that has been mine and mine alone. And it feels like mine! I now have an oasis from the noise here. I'm not sure how long I will go without a roommate, but I'm going to revel in my independence for the time being. I can fill the walls, the cabinets, the refrigerator with whatever my little heart desires! I wonder what reflection this new-found freedom will allow to take shape...
I feel like I'm starting to see how it is possible that I will, eventually, evolve into a self-assured adult.
Which reminds me...
I have a job! I am now an employee at the Wisteria Cottage Café. I was sitting in the café just last Friday when Lacy, one of the owners, asked me where I worked. When I told her that I was currently unemployed, she asked if I would like to work there. I quickly said, "yes!" She then interviewed me and told me that she would soon give me an answer.
Then this evening, while waiting at the apartment with Brent for Christina to return from the car shop (we didn't know if Maple was, in fact, drivable) I was surprised to see on my phone that I had received a voicemail; I was even more surprised that it was Lacy asking me if I could start work tomorrow! I immediately returned her call and emphatically agreed.
In just hours I will begin training for my new job!
I feel like God is lovingly setting the stage for me to grow.
