Friends, I’ve hit a road bump. I’m not sure yet just how much it’s going to impact me, but it’s probably going to be pretty large. It might even mean that I have to sideline my plans to go to Santiago de Compostela this year. I’d rather not speculate and stress until all the facts are in, though.
Last weekend, my boyfriend and I called it quits after almost 8 years. It wasn’t unexpected; my crumbling relationship was one of the major problems in my life. The Camino was always something of an escape route, anyway. It was the place that I retreated when I couldn’t handle another second of my life. I still desperately want to go on pilgrimage, but now it will be less about running away from my future, and more about embracing it.
Unfortunately, a side effect of leaving a long-term relationship is divvying up your belongings and finding a new apartment. Apartment prices are pretty inflated in New Orleans. They say that about other cities, but here most people I know make under $35k a year, but pay around $1k in rent each month (if they live alone – it’s cheaper with a roommate, but that’s such a pain). That means that the typical apartment takes up an unrealistic portion of a person’s paycheck, and that’s before utilities get tallied in. I’m currently hunting for something in my price range (a much lower budget than $1k, that’s for sure), and it’s hard. If I can’t find something at or under what I currently pay, there’s a good chance I won’t be able to save anything over the coming months to go on my trip.
Somehow, though, even though I’m writing all of this, I’m not that worried. I feel strangely certain that everything’s going to be just fine. I’m not giving up yet. Things have a way of working themselves out, and something tells me that this will, too.
Trackbacks & Pingbacks
- 1930 – Rolls Royce Phantom II | The Bliss of Reality
- Sunlight on the plant | Crazy Art
- Daily Prompt: Never Surrender | Basically Beyond Basic
- Telenovela Style | Mila’s Misadventures
- Setting | Perspectives on life, universe and everything
- Spiked AA 🙂 | Perspectives on life, universe and everything
- lone deer (steadfast) | photo potpourri
- Reel On You ! | Life Confusions
- Eric’s Aria (Part 2) | The Jittery Goat
- DP Daily Prompt: Never Surrender | Sabethville
- ‘What doesn’t kill you…’ | Rima Hassan
- Care to Dare | Rima Hassan
- Never surrender | Sue’s Trifles
- 400 Pound Burden | Rima Hassan
- Stubborn is as Stubborn Does | Musings | WANGSGARD
- Headstrong | Active Army Wife
- Night at the Pier | Greg Urbano
- On Homophobia | AS I PLEASE
- of scary monsters and nice spites | Anawnimiss
- Daily Prompt: Never Surrender- Differentiating Between Resilience and Stubbroness | Journeyman
- The Trial, Not For the Weak of Faint of Heart: Part 1 | jlaneb
- No surrender on Mental Illness awareness/tolerance | ALIEN AURA’S BlOG: IT’LL BLOW YOUR MIND!
- There are just some things I like done or doing a certain way. The right way. | thoughtsofrkh
- Stubborn as a Mule! | meanderedwanderings
- Pardon me for everything I’m about to say | Attempted Human Relations and Self
- Welcome to the jungle | The verbal hedge
- Daily Prompt: Never Surrender | My Extraordinary Everyday Life
- How Are You Toward Health Goals, Easy Going Or Stubborn? | Because It Calms My Nerves:
- The Conundrum | Each Feather, A Freedom
- Java, Joe, Carbon Remover, Plasma | Exploratorius
- Tweet, Tweet, Twitterfiction | My Little Avalon
- Steadfast in my integrity: I am my mother’s daughter « psychologistmimi
- How Do I Get My Son To Go To School | A mom’s blog
- I am not bossy, I AM the boss | IvyMosquito
- Daily Prompt: Never Surrender | Finding Life
- Stubborn Love | peacefulblessedstar
- Daily Prompt: Never Surrender | Life is great
- Stubborn Dutch | Lisa’s Kansa Muse
- Minutely Infinite | Stubborn, Yes.
- Daily Prompt: Never Surrender | Chronicles of an Anglo Swiss
- daily prompt: steadfast | hereisandrea
- too stubborn | eastelmhurst.a.go.go
- A Letter to my Brother | The Magic Black Book
- Who Was that Masked Mule Anyway? | Green Embers
- Stubborn or steadfast? No Surrender | I’m a Writer, Yes I Am
- Stubborn Or Easy Going
- Daily Post: Never Surrender | melissuhhsmiles
- I’LL BE BACK | SERENDIPITY
- never surrender | klstar2000
- Never Surrender | Knowledge Addiction
- Daily Prompt: Never Surrender, 11.03.14 | Markie’s Daily Blog
- Staying Stubborn | snapshotsofawanderingheart
- Because I’m a Survivor
- “Never Surrender” | Relax
- Daily Prompt Response: Never Surrender | Confessions of a Monogrammed Runner
- Stubborn, determined, or stupid? | Parents Are People Too
- The Stubborn Mule and the Easy-Going Duck | Fun with Depression
- DP: Never Surrender – Leaving Mina (Hajj Diary Extract) | aliabbasali
- Beliefs or Ideas? Daily Prompt: Never Surrender | The Bohemian Rock Star’s “Untitled Project”
- Writer’s Block: Get Stubborn! | Sweat, Tears and Digital Ink
- Police horse, close up (Daily Prompt: “Never Surrender, Show us Steadfast”) | Photo0pal Photography
- Am I stubborn? | Asianchemnerd
- “Surrender” | Cosmic Heroism
- Insurrection | vic briggs
- Stubborn or delusional? | Emotional Fitness
Compass & Quill 
You seem very realistic, I hope you do find a cheaper apartment and can afford the things you want. 🙂
Thanks – me too! I’ve got some leads, so we’ll see what turns up. 🙂
Maybe this is the first, real step on the road. The Camino reaches to those who reach with awareness of limitations. Keep writing. Keep on! No pilgrimage begins the way we imagine, and it’s a messy business working things through… but that’s the beauty of the journey, too.
It’s perfectly right to get good and messy, then learn how to roll with mess.
All roads merge, eventually.
Meredith
Thanks, Meredith. Beautiful thoughts, beautifully written 🙂 I’m definitely going to keep writing; I’m reading way too much about the journey to keep all those thoughts to myself. I yearn to roll with the mess – I’m learning to let go a little each day…and I like it 🙂
Remain calm, remain positive. Things have a way of ‘working out’ when we manage to ‘let go,’ as you say in your title. I am a praying person and I’ll send some your way.
Thank you!