apartment hunting can teach you a lot about life.

1) things are not always as they seem or appear.

you'd be surprised at how many pictures and ads don't actually match what is actually being offered. take the one house i looked at this past week, for example. the ad said that a fully furnished bedroom was available in a huge house. fact: the house was small, really small, and the room was indeed furnished if they consider a desk and a bar fridge suitable for sleeping on.

i don't get it? why pretend that you have something to offer other than what you, well, have to offer?

let me take this a step further and ask why it is we feel we need to pretend we're someone we're not, or pretend we're okay when we're dying on the inside? [things just got deep, y'all]. whether you're looking at an apartment, at the people in your life, or even in the mirror, the truth eventually comes out. be real. be honest.

2) life has a funny way of working itself out.

i felt an incredible amount of pressure the past week when it came to finding the 'right' place to live. so much in fact, that i think i chose the wrong one.

i accepted a basement apartment out of my price range [i mean, it was doable, but i would have had to sacrifice my McDonald's coffee every morning, among other things] because i needed a place to live and felt i have to make a quick decision. i started to feel unsettled about it half-way through packing, only to feel even more unsettled about my decision after my new landlord called me five times that day, changing his mind about things we previously talked about and things he had promised me. after the sixth call, which happened to be at 9:30p.m., i opted out, and the minute i hung up, i felt the peace i was looking for.

but now what?, i wondered.

today, i found my ' now what'; a perfectly located, and much cheaper, attic apartment in a peaceful cottage-like home.

now, i may be jumping the gun here, as my hopefully new landlord still needs to call my references, but i have much confidence in my ability to choose only the best references, and am just as confident that i convinced them that i would be a great tenant in the few minutes that i had to do so, but you never know.

3) we are not meant to do life alone.

i'm extremely thankful for my friend who brought me boxes and packing tape, for another who offered her home, and another, her couch. i'm grateful for all of the 'check-in' texts and e-mails, and the friends who picked up the phone when i was feeling overwhelmed on the other end. i'm not sure what i would do without the friends who came with me to check out my potential new home, and gave me insight as to whether or not it was a good fit, and whether or not they saw any red flags [since i only see white and gold ones ;)]. and i'm most certainly thankful for a God who continuously guides me along the BEST pathway for my life. [psalm 32:8 NLT].

we're not meant to do this thing alone; we're better together.