I know it’s a good “problem” to have, but maintaining three homes and four dogs can put a nice hurtin’ on the balances of ‘ye old credit cards. When I got a nice offer from a credit card company recently with a no interest balance transfer for 18 billing cycles I was all in. After several attempts to apply online without any success, I made a phone call to speak to an actual human. I reached a woman who began my application process with the usual and necessary questions.
“I see you aren’t too far from me,” she mentioned during a pause in the process.
Turns out she was located in the Orlando vicinity less than 2 hours from me in Crescent City, a town most have never heard of. I relayed how rural a place this still was. She in turn spoke of how busy it was where she lived and how it sounded so nice to be in a quieter place like the one I described.
We got to talking about travel and I told her that I liked to book flights out of Daytona Airport because it was so small and never too busy and only 45 minutes from here. She in turn said that she’d just returned from visiting her hometown in Massachusetts.
I told her that my late father was from that state and I’d spent alot of time there as well.
For some reason I also mentioned that I found my way to rural Old Florida after the loss of my husband.
“I’m a widow, too. I lost my husband 27 years ago,” she replied.
I noted that from the way she said it, it could’ve happened 27 days ago. There was a heaviness those words.
We had to get back to the credit card application of course, but before we did, I briefly informed her of my work for Soaring Spirits and encouraged her to check out the Widow’s Voice Blog, despite the length of her widowhood. It really doesn’t matter how long ago we entered into our own widowhoods. No matter what we do going forward, or how many years have passed, we are forever changed. There is no magical “healing” number.
Yes, those building credit card charges can add up, but I’ve earned them. My credit scores are excellent and I look at them as a loan from the universe to keep me going. Tree removal, pavers, concrete and a newly enclosed screen porch, and that’s just for one home. I find these projects therapeutic and know I’m fortunate to be able to find the right people for these jobs.
And having the resources to keep four dogs in good health is also a blessing but can get expensive. My blind malti-poo, Quint, for example, faces special challenges, and thankfully a recent extensive blood panel work up showed nothing of concern. There is no refund for good news, so the charges mount with a sense of relief!
Living in this area of rural Florida has also been an adaptation in many ways. When I first came down this way to check out the log home, I grasped just how remote a locale this is. I found a degree of comfort, however, that there was a very nice Winn Dixie grocery store in town. It was always well-stocked, with a friendly staff and I came to rely on its constant presence as I find food and cooking a calming influence.
Tomorrow, however, that all changes as that store will permanently close. I’ve sadly watched its shelves empty and its steady dismantling. In nine months, we are expecting the birth of an Aldi, but that’s a ways off and although we have a few options, nothing can compare to what we’ve had. A food desert has been created. Another adjustment to be made when I already have adjustment overload. I, like my fellow town dwellers will have to get creative and explore new avenues in the interim. I’m thankful to the management who often let us sit outside its doors to raise funds for the local animal shelter.
Ironically, perhaps my favorite memory of that store will always be how so unexpectedly I came to acquire a tiny puppy outside of that store’s entrance. Because of Winn Dixie, I received a gift that will always be a meaningful part of the story of how I found myself living a very different kind of life in this unlikely place like so many who find themselves here on this site.
Have an adaptive new month ahead.
