My Turf

I lived in my condo for over three years. Six hundred square feet of cozy. In those three years I changed the orientation of my bed once, but did not alter the positioning of any other furniture or home fixtures. There was no point; there was no space. But because of the consistency and familiarity over time, I was pretty much one with my condo when it came to moving around in the dark. Umm, Gina? About a hundred years ago they invented this thing called a light bulb. Why would you move around in the dark? Come on, you know what I'm talking about. When the light switch is on the opposite side of the room but what you seek is in closer range, or when your eyes are adjusted to the dim night-time ambiance and light would just be painful. It's easier just to do the small task in the dark. And in my condo, I was good at it.

Getting up to go pee in the middle of the night; child's play. Going from bedroom to kitchen to turn off my cell phone after I realized--ten minutes after settling into bed--that I left it on; smooth sailing. Grabbing a quick snack at a commercial; good to go (okay, sometimes that's a cheat cuz there's light from the refrigerator). I was so in-tune with my floor plan. And then I moved.

While emotionally, this house felt like mine pretty much right from the get-go, physically this was not the case. I was dealing with a new--and larger--layout. Different corners and walls. Stairs. Light switches at different heights--and why isn't there one at each end of the kitchen?! ...Aside from getting up in the night to go pee (still easy, since my bedroom and bathroom are right next to each other), I did not navigate anything in the dark for quite some time.

Eventually, I started meandering to get something or put something away without trying to find the light switch first. My steps were not confident, mind you. Especially through the kitchen, I would take baby steps to avoid knocking into chairs or tripping over something I may have left on the floor (it's been harder to dump my stuff in a consistent spot near the door when I get home each evening).

...It was about a month ago that it happened. I don't even remember what I was getting. I may have just been locking doors and turning off lights as I made my way to bed. Whatever it was, I moved through my entire house--with little motor hesitation--in the dark. I paused at the entrance to my bedroom and smiled at the realization: I was in tune with my house. And it's awesome.