My Turf

I lived in my condo for over three years. Six hundred square feet of cozy. In those three years I changed the orientation of my bed once, but did not alter the positioning of any other furniture or home fixtures. There was no point; there was no space. But because of the consistency and familiarity over time, I was pretty much one with my condo when it came to moving around in the dark. Umm, Gina? About a hundred years ago they invented this thing called a light bulb. Why would you move around in the dark? Come on, you know what I'm talking about. When the light switch is on the opposite side of the room but what you seek is in closer range, or when your eyes are adjusted to the dim night-time ambiance and light would just be painful. It's easier just to do the small task in the dark. And in my condo, I was good at it.

Getting up to go pee in the middle of the night; child's play. Going from bedroom to kitchen to turn off my cell phone after I realized--ten minutes after settling into bed--that I left it on; smooth sailing. Grabbing a quick snack at a commercial; good to go (okay, sometimes that's a cheat cuz there's light from the refrigerator). I was so in-tune with my floor plan. And then I moved.

While emotionally, this house felt like mine pretty much right from the get-go, physically this was not the case. I was dealing with a new--and larger--layout. Different corners and walls. Stairs. Light switches at different heights--and why isn't there one at each end of the kitchen?! ...Aside from getting up in the night to go pee (still easy, since my bedroom and bathroom are right next to each other), I did not navigate anything in the dark for quite some time.

Eventually, I started meandering to get something or put something away without trying to find the light switch first. My steps were not confident, mind you. Especially through the kitchen, I would take baby steps to avoid knocking into chairs or tripping over something I may have left on the floor (it's been harder to dump my stuff in a consistent spot near the door when I get home each evening).

...It was about a month ago that it happened. I don't even remember what I was getting. I may have just been locking doors and turning off lights as I made my way to bed. Whatever it was, I moved through my entire house--with little motor hesitation--in the dark. I paused at the entrance to my bedroom and smiled at the realization: I was in tune with my house. And it's awesome.

Mine

When I graduated from university in 2002, my parents 'sold' me their car. I had driven it while living at home in the summers for the previous four years, and it had been our family car for eleven years. It was red. It was a standard. And now it was mine.

Except it didn't really feel like mine. It had always been the family car--really, my parents' car. And if I accidentally referred to it as "my car," my dad was very quick to remind me, "whose car?" until I had it well in my brain who was ultimately responsible for that vehicle. So even once I'd given my parents the whole dollar they charged me for it, even once my first insurance payment went through, even once I'd driven it back to my apartment three hours away, it didn't quite feel like mine. Until one day that first summer, while driving on the highway to work, a semi-truck traveling in the other direction fired a rock into the right side of the windshield. BANG. Now the car felt like mine.

I had a welt in my windshield for which I was responsible. And what hit me was not just the fiscal responsibility of paying for the repair of said welt, but the overall sense of responsibility that this was my car, my baby, and that its long-term well-being depended on how well I took care of it for even such little things as these. (Please do not tell this to my current Honda Civic, the windshield of which boasts several welts and a few cracks, all but one of which I've ignored.) I almost felt like my car would grow resentful if I did not treat it properly, and would be more appreciative if I kept it 'healthy' in all respects (yes, I am well-aware that cars do not actually have feelings).

From that point forward, I consciously started knowing my car. It's noises, it's quirks, its flaws, its strengths. And I fell even more in love with it than I had been before.

In late October of this year, I moved into my house. Except it didn't really feel like mine. It still smelled like the previous owners. It had rooms that were not my preferred colour. So even after all the papers were signed, even after I re-painted my bedroom and ripped out all the old carpet, even though the space has all my stuff in it and therefore reflects my personality, it didn't quite feel like mine. Until this week, when it snowed.

A house requires maintenance inside and out. In the winter in Canada, that means shoveling the front walk and driveway. And I have a massive driveway. Despite recommendations, I opted for a regular snow shovel instead of a snow blower. Cheaper, more eco-friendly, and healthier for someone like me who likes to be active, but does everything in her power to avoid stepping foot in a gym. For an hour, I shoveled snow. I made sure it was all shoveled evenly. I took care not to pile the snow in poor locations (i.e. against the side of the house where the grading needs to be re-done). I cleared stairs not just for my own safety but for that of the post man and friends who might stop by. And what hit me was not just the physical act of removing the snow to be a responsible citizen, but the overall sense of responsibility that this was my house, and its long-term well-being depended on how well I took care of it for even such little things as these. I kind of feel like my house will grow resentful if I do not treat it properly, and will be more appreciative if I keep it 'healthy' in all respects (yes, I am well-aware that my house does not actually have feelings.)

The first mortgage payment has yet to be withdrawn. I have yet to receive my first heating bill. And I still can't quite navigate my way effortlessly in the dark. But the snow shoveling did it. I am already aware of how I am coming to know my house. I know which rooms are warmer, even when the thermostat says the whole house is at 20C (68F). I know which doors open effortlessly, and which require me to wrestle a little with them as I turn the key in the lock. I know to expect the sound of the bathroom pipes after I wash my hands. And I'm falling even more in love with it than I was before.