Moving Milestone #3 - Sister Mary Katherine Kimmie

So I have had one week of the single life. Seven days to reflect and be at peace, one hundred and sixty-eight hours to think and focus on just me. With twenty one days to go until I reunite with Josh and Charlie, I had better got used to my solitary lifestyle. Don't misunderstand me, the single life isn't all bad and I have plenty of good friends to keep me company; but I've definitely experienced some lifestyle changes since the cat and the husband left town.

I feel a bit like I'm living in a convent. Not that I have a lot of experience with convents, but I imagine that there are some similarities. First, my furniture "situation" or lack there of. Here are the highlights of my current worldly possessions: three plates, three bowls, one skillet, one toaster, one fork, one knife, one spoon, one TV (currently sitting on an old storage cube that will eventually be sitting outside on the curb), one mattress, one box spring, one old coffee table turned into makeshift desk, one old beach chair turned into makeshift office chair, assorted boxes, lamp borrowed from my office. Actually, when listed, that sounds like a lot! You get the picture though; everything is a makeshift solution for something that I used to own. It does bring a certain feeling of exoticness, I feel like I'm camping in my own house, if you find that exotic I guess. There are some advantages to this current set up. Dishes are really easy, although I no longer have an excuse to use the dishwasher. Cleaning is a real cinch; there is nothing to sweep around, and no cat hair to sweep up for that matter. You might think that it would be easier to find and harder to lose things, but I haven't found that to be true.

The second most noticeable change when you are in convent camp is the vow of silence. I certainly miss Josh, but I'm surprised how much I really am missing the cat. Since Josh and I had a pretty active and busy lifestyle here in Philadelphia, I'm certainly no stranger to being home by myself, but I was used to having something alive to come home to. Charlie would faithfully greet us by the door upon every arrival and escort us out at every departure. And I, being the pseudo-cat lady I have become, would just as loyally give him an enthusiastic hello with a pat on the belly and proceed to tell him all about my day. Each morning I had a routine of bidding him a good day, just a quick final word before I left the house. He never spoke back to me, but I certainly appreciated his ever ready (or captive) ear. After I arrive home now, I have absolutely no reason to speak out loud. This, for a chatty girl like me is a real lifestyle change!

Living alone has already told me a lot about myself, but I have learned a few things about Josh as well. He wasn’t nearly as dirty as I thought he was. Miraculous, somehow a week after his departure, there is still dirty laundry on the floor sometimes, strange smells in the bathroom, an unmade bed, dishes in the sink and a trashcan full of garbage. Could it be that I am not as tidy and pristine as I thought? I would hate to think so, these things are probably still leftover after his departure, and after all, it has only been a week. Charlie however is as dirty as I thought he was, I may miss our daily chats, but a fur and litter free house hasn’t been the worst thing in the world.

All and all, it is a bit like hosting a slumber party, but I’m my only guest. Every meal is exactly what I want to eat (quite a perk if you are married to a picky eater, sorry Josh). I get to watch countless hours of whatever I want to watch on TV, I get to plan my days to do whatever I want. I never leave myself without hot water. I can be really loud in the morning and dry my hair in front of the TV with the radio on. Each and every decision is about me and I’m always the center of my own attention. Despite all of this, it is definitely more fun to have friends at a sleepover.