Craziness

At the end of July my landlord texted me at work and told me that he had been diagnosed with bone marrow cancer, he was selling my rental, and I had to be out by September 1st. I had been renting my villa for six years, paid my rent on time (and often early), took care of the place, and now I was essentially being evicted with a 30-day notice -- in the middle of a pandemic, in a red-hot rental market, in an even hotter for-sale market. I know that cancer is a devastating and overwhelming diagnosis and that my landlord needs to concentrate on his health, but me having to move in 30 days (he offered an extra week or two if I needed it) was a shock and, to be honest, frightening.

Frightening because I had committed the sin (according to most landlords, leasing agents, and HOAs) of adopting a 55-pound dog. Thirty-five pounds is the limit for almost all places that accept pets. And if my dog happened to be one of the "restricted" breeds like pit bulls, German shepherds, Rottweilers, huskies or even Great Danes, it would be impossible to find a rental that would allow her in their precious place.  

Frightening because there is nothing in the Tampa area that I can afford ($1100 month for a studio? Come on. What is this, NYC or Seattle?) in an area that I feel safe to live in and be somewhat close to work. So I'm buying the villa I've been renting. I can't believe it. I am buying the villa I've lived in for six years. I'm lucky I can do this because there's nowhere else to go. Because I don't want to be homeless and have to return my dog to the Humane Society of Tampa Bay (along with my two cats). Because it's an affordable price (even though my savings will be wiped out -- closing costs are expensive). Because I can handle the monthly mortgage payment.

I'm stunned to soon be a homeowner. Even though I had been checking out Realtor.com and Zillow on a regular basis for a while for homes to buy, I wasn't really believing it could happen. And now it is. I am thankful that my landlord agreed to sell the villa to me via a loan although he really wanted a cash offer. I am thankful that I saved a few thousand dollars over the past few years and whittled down my credit card balances. I am grateful that my school loan payment is on hiatus until February 2022. I am thankful that I still have a job; a lot of people lost their jobs during the pandemic.

2020 and 2021 (so far) have been strange and upsetting years. Somewhere along the way, though, I changed. Not sure into what or who, but I feel different -- more in tune with the earth's vibrations, with the wildlife that lives and dies on this planet right beside us, with the trees that shade us and offer their beauty for our eyes and souls, with my own self. 

I look forward to the future as a homeowner and as a writer -- because that's what I want to be when I grow up. I just won't look in the mirror so I can still believe I am 16, 20, 25. Somewhere inside me that girl still lives. 

And I pray for my landlord that his cancer goes into remission. Peace.