It is hard to believe that four years ago today I signed the lease and got the keys to what is now my home. Amid the COVID-19 pandemic and right before another resurgence, it was hard to believe that I could be attaining another housing situation after vacating another a few blocks away a few months prior due to a host of issues.

What is also hard to believe is that I have been living here for four years now. That is the longest stretch that I have lived anywhere on my own and there is no looking back! It can be hard to seem for the person who had always believed that he would live with his parents forever then to have his first opportunity squashed due to numerous issues, that I could have another opportunity and be consistent at being here for this long , but hey, anything is possible.

There was no lie that at first, I was truly angry with myself for moving here. There were some characteristics that I did not like about it, including that it was a top floor apartment that has no elevator to access. I had become truly angry with how I had to get things in here like groceries and stuff I purchased, but eventually, I caught on to better systems and methods of how to work smarter and not harder.

While there have been those difficulties with the last two relapses, I experienced last year, there is also the fact that since transitioning to shared ride transportation, that would have likely not been possible living where my parents live and for that is a big reason that I am grateful to live where I live. There is also a fixed route system if I would need to get a few things at the store that passes through my housing complex and that too is a nice advantage to living where I live.

While at one time, living on my own had seemed like a pipe dream, there has been a lot that I have learned over the past few years that has made it easier. I must give many accolades to my day services by preparing me with the necessary skills to live my life in the way that I need to and preparing me with the knowledge that I need to be a successful tenant in the community that I live in.

I hope to have many more successful years living on my own. I have finally got to the point of understanding what I need to do to stay mentally well along with all facets of fostering independence and being my best self. I will stay here as long as I am able to. There was some doubt when a new housing project is being constructed on the other side of town this winter, but I realized that I would be better off being where I am instead of having all the added anxiety that comes with a new place under an authority where more is expected of me. So, for now I am planning to be where I am for many years to come and make the best of the living situation that I am living in and make my home more of a home.