Foxes have holes, birds of the air have nests...

Here's the layout of my new apartment. I'm going to be paying too much for it, really. But I fell for the view of the forest preserve - out of the living and dining room windows, you see nothing but trees (and power lines, truthfully). It's right on a bike trail, even. So, I'm taking on a "luxury" apartment with a rent that *doesn't* include utilities, for a view of the forest preserve??? Is this really smart, Heidi?

But there's also an outdoor pool, washer/dryer, dishwasher, a balcony, and a kitchen that's BIG and open to the front room. (But alas, no fireplace, contrary to the floorplan). It's also close enough that I could bike to church if I wanted. I could probably even bike from the church to the local hospital, although it's still under construction.

So, I think I'm paying for an image, here. Bad bad bad. Very impractical. But I'm a sucker for metaphors - that's why I'm becoming a priest. Maybe paying for things that are beautiful can be worth it? I just hope I'm not going to be surprised by my heat bill! Then maybe the trees won't be quite so pretty.

Next problem: when am I going to move in? I have to balance all the things I need to bring to end here at Seabury - my freelance work, my packing, my goodbyes... and I need to say goodbye to two churches: St. John's, where I'm deaconing, and St. Paul and the Redeemer, that "done brung me up." And I really need to go back to Christ in the Wilderness (watch out for that cricket soundclip) and go sit in a hermitage for a while (see my last visit, in March), talk to God and the trees, and prepare myself.

I find myself obsessing about furniture quite a bit. I keep thinking about where I'm going to put things, how I'm going to fit everything in 884 sq. feet... This is actually bigger than my Seabury apartment but the new place has more windows and less wall space for things like bookcases, of which I have four:
I will probably keep a bunch of books in my office. But I also have this Norwegian cupboard/bookshelf, that was my grandmother's:
And I actually imagined that I might get a place big enough that I could finally have my childhood piano with me. Maybe next time.

Besides, small places are cozier, more energy-efficient, and keep you from buying furniture and other stuff that you probably don't need anyway. And a view of the forest preserve and the sky? Worth it. (I hope so, anyway!)