Life goes on... and on... and..........

     It's amazing how quickly the past year and a half have gone.  A lot has changed since I last posted anything on my blog and yet, some things remain the same...
     After my mother was laid to rest, I sort of took shelter in the home.  I was not really interested in much that life had to offer although I tried to make the right noises to let people know that I was okay.  I was also very distraught by the fact that Washington DC had been taken over by those who seemed to be out to destroy the democracy that my great grandfather, father, uncles and brother fought to maintain.  All in all, I just couldn't be bothered by writing because I was sure that no one would be interested in hearing about my depressed and stressed state of mind.
     Stress came from many aspects of my life.  First, there was the stress of getting my mother's affairs in order.  Luckily, I had gotten much of that ready so finishing up was not too difficult. Then, not knowing what the current administration could or would do to my health insurance, my disability insurance and my social security.  I still really don't know.  And then there were the stress of not knowing what had happened to our country.  Again, I still really don't know.
     Breaks in the stress happened when Jim and I went on vacation.  As always, we left the worries and stress of life behind and traveled to new places and met many new friends.  But we always had to come home.  At least we could plan and look forward to our next adventure. 
     Then last year, about this time of year, we decided that it was time to look for a new place to live.  We decided that moving out of the house and into a senior living community would be the best plan for us for a number of reasons.  First, taking care of the house and yard had become more difficult for both of us.  It was no longer fun but had became a chore that neither of us wanted.  Second, we knew that our health was most likely going to decline as time passed and we wanted to be in a place where we could live out the rest of our lives without having to make decisions about another move.  An "age in place" kind of thing is what we wanted.  Third, living in south Minneapolis was no longer as safe for us as it once had been.  We wanted to put another layer of security between us and the craziness of the world.  We spent much of last summer and fall looking at places around the cities.  Finally we decided that The Rivers Senior Community in Burnsville was the best fit for us.  It's close to where we want to go, it is convenient for shopping, it has beautiful gardens and ponds and we can sit inside and watch nature without having to care for lawns and gardens.  Plus, we don't have to shovel snow!!  In November of last year we were notified that one of the two bedroom, two bathroom apartments had opened up so we decided to move.  We began the move in December and were in our new apartment by the middle of the month.  We were able to get the house cleaned out and fixed up and ready to go onto the market by February.  Luckily, the house sold very quickly and for more that the asking price.

In this photo our apartment is at the far right of the building, second floor.

 

     Since moving, stress levels had dropped considerably and my health has improved.  I realize that the outside world is still a mess but Jim and I are safer and happier here on our new home.  As a result, my lab tests have been great and my HIV is well under control.  I am now able to concentrate on my HIV Prevention Education and my political interests and work on getting myself back out into the world.  Watch out because now I am ready for a fight in both areas of my life!