It’s been a hard year for me in many ways. Not harder than, say, living in a war zone or losing electricity for several weeks after severe storms or enduring a devastating flood — my life is pretty okay compared to that, don’t get me wrong. I’m not complaining.
But this year I’ve been under the most stress of my life following my dad’s death. At my age, stress takes its toll. Just the grief alone… it’s a process. You’re floating and disconnected during those first few days, and the actual grieving doesn’t set in until later.
To complicate matters, my dad put me in charge of settling his estate. He was organized about his end-of-life planning, and the administration of it should have been routine and methodical. Unfortunately, my role triggered conflict with a sibling that I won’t get into now pending legal proceedings that are entirely unnecessary.
Then there was the monumental task of cleaning out the family home to get it ready for sale. I live an hour away and had to commute back and forth for months. Thankfully, that part’s over now. The house is sold. Hopefully the other legal issues will get sorted out and I can move on with my life.
There’s Never a ‘Good Time’ to Renovate
In the meantime, I’ve turned my attention to my own household.
Several years ago, I purchased my condo from an art teacher who clearly cared about the space. It was the least updated unit in the building but well-maintained with good bones. After moving in, I started saving for renovations to make it my own.
Every year since then, the timing has been wrong for various reasons. But this year, finally, I decided to move forward because I have the budget and found a decent contractor. I am starting with the kitchen and dining room area.
Unfortunately, we also live in a time of opportunistic price-gouging, which includes appliances and building materials. So, that old adage in home ownership — don’t over-renovate your space? I’ve had to toss it out the window. I will very likely not recoup my investment, but I’ve resigned myself to that.
As of this post the kitchen is out of commission. It’s been gutted, and the contractor is about to start leveling the subfloor and installing new laminate wood flooring. He will also fix some longtime plumbing issues, install and paint new cabinets along with custom built-in storage, and install a new in-unit washer/dryer.
More on this later, as the project progresses.
The Show Must Go On
Despite the upheaval in my personal life this year, and my daughter’s — she’s grieving too — we’re trying to keep things as “normal” as possible for my grandsons.
My daughter and I don’t feel much like celebrating holidays this year because both of my parents were such a huge part of them. Still, we are looking forward to spooky season. We’re considering a trip to a pumpkin patch this fall, and of course planning for trick-or-treat.
By Thanksgiving we will have a brand new kitchen space, which should brighten the holidays for us a bit.