 |
| Fort |
Twenty
thirteen is proving challenging on many fronts: personal, financial, family,
emotional. In the spate of recent blows - two job rejections, health insurance
denial (me, not Jasper), a complicated relationship, bleak financial landscape
- the hardest was learning that we will be forced out of our apartment come
July.
Since
October 2011, Jasper and I have lived in a triplex in a century old house in
the Ballard neighborhood of Seattle. An old house is not without problems - old
kitchen, old plumbing, drafty. To that add barely functioning appliances, too
few kitchen cabinets, and no storage space. But our apartment is charming,
bright, safe and within walking distance to most everything one could need. I
especially love Jasper's room, with one wall of built in shelving, flanking the
window, and full with stuffed animals, books, music, and a growing collection of toys "for later."
I constantly rearrange the animals, and Jasper promptly tosses them to
the floor.
Last
fall, the house was purchased by a new landlord, who resides in Arizona, my
native state, for most of the year. Our lease expires in July, so a few weeks
ago, I contacted the landlord to ask about our options, would it be possible to
go month to month once our lease is up? At first, she replied, No, we couldn't modify
our current lease to be month to month. Realizing her misunderstanding, I
clarified I meant after our current lease ends. She responded: Construction
improvements are scheduled to begin on August 1, the apartment will not be
available for rent after that. But we live here, was my first thought, this is our home.
I had considered moving several times. But it is a harsh, belittling feeling,
being told you have to move. You have no choice, it is not your decision. I thought of all
the work involved in moving, the expense, the fierce competition for a decent apartment in a
desirable neighborhood, packing, cleaning, trying to recruit moving help and
most of all...Jasper.
Moving,
transition is hard on any kid. I can only imagine how hard it will be for a
little boy who is vision impaired and has worked so hard to map out this little
world we call home. Jasper learned to crawl, pull to stand, cruise, walk, run,
and backward walk in this house. His home is the most familiar, comfortable
place in the world for him. Whenever we return from a trip, even when
away at a friend's house for a few days to avoid toxic construction fumes from
downstairs, I delight in watching Jasper come home, hurrying around, going from
room to room, checking on his toys, reacquainting, reconnecting. As a
parent of a child with cortical vision impairment, it has been drilled into me
- by books, therapists, but mostly by Jasper himself - how children with CVI
prefer the familiar to the new. Familiar toys, people, environments - we are
still working on breaking in holiday and birthday toys. It is hard to
comprehend how profoundly moving will rock his world, turn it upside down.
Thinking about it breaks my heart. And reinforces my goal of finding a
permanent address for Jasper and me. I am realistic enough to realize that such
a goal is at least two moves away.
There
are plenty of problems to work out between now and July. Details, like how to
find a new home without a job, without help?
