Seeking My Goldilocks Apartment

Seeking My Goldilocks Apartment

I request your best prayers.

This is a long message and I think all this is needed to target your prayers.

I have been stuck and stalled for a long time in finding an apartment.

I believe that God will answer prayers and get me moving forward in the right direction with momentum.

The subject line Goldilocks was used because in the story Goldilocks was seeking what was not too hot or too cold and not to large and not too small. She wanted what was just right.

As I reflect on my search for an apartment this Goldilocks analogy comes to mind. There are a few external criteria that are imposed on me. And there are some personal criteria. And there are fears that I recently uncovered that have delayed me.

EXTERNAL CRITERIA

The section 8 voucher has a limit of how much rent it will cover based on the zip code. There are dozens of zip codes in DFW. The amount covered for a 1 bedroom apartment ranges from 570 to 1400. The amount I would pay remains the same based on a percent of my income.

Most apartments that I have researched online are above the limit for that zip code. The complex I wanted that was near Upper Room church was slightly above. And in the comments a resident said that they had reduced the rent for the last 2 years in March. But that did not happen this year.

Besides finding an apartment within the price range they must accept section 8 vouchers. Some do and many do not.

Also there needs to be a vacancy within the window before the voucher expires. Some of the best properties that accept vouchers have a long waiting list. The complex at 511 Ervay near the downtown YMCA has 56 people on the waiting list and they are not taking any more because so few people leave there.

Reading the comments by residents has revealed much. Some complexes have loud parties on the weekends. One often has dog poop in the hallways. One resident reported that his apartment flooded with each heavy rain. There is mold in his residence. And the management will do nothing.

PERSONAL CRITERIA

For the last 2 plus years while living at the homeless shelter I left a little before 8 AM and returned a little before 8 PM each weekday. I went to the library to use their WIFI. Some days I returned for lunch and or dinner. So I walked 2 to 5 miles a day. That has been useful exercise. It has helped me physically, mentally and emotionally.

I get most of my income from my social security retirement. I plan to work on an ebook and ecourse about prayer as well as my many other online projects. So I would not have any purpose to get out of my apartment when I am accessing online using broadband.

If I do not have a reason to go outside then I will remain inside. If that continues for many months and years it would not be good for me mentally, emotionally, physically and spiritually.

I remember that my mother became a recluse the last decade of her life. She rarely went out. She deteriorated. She stopped communicating with my brother and me. I feel that attraction to withdraw from society and become a hermit.

As I consider what would motivate me to get out of my residence 2 things come to mind. They are prayer and nature.

I would go to Upper Room for the prayer sessions they offer 6 to 8 AM, noon to 2 PM and 6 to 8 PM on Mondays to Thursdays. I would not attend all of those but I would attend a few times each week.

Another strong draw for me is to go for a long walk in nature. I enjoy walking and I enjoy nature. I have begun to seek nature centers in DFW and found that there are a few. I have begun to research apartments near them. Most are out of my range but a precious few are in my range.

MY FEARS

I fear becoming a recluse and deteriorating like my mother. So I want to not just pick any apartment but one that will be located where I will want to get out a few times each week.

I fear failure. I fear that I will get stuck with a lease in a place that is horrible. Many years ago I lived in an apartment where my neighbor played music so loud that the pictures on the wall shook and the manager would do nothing. I lived in an apartment where the air conditioner did not work and the manager did nothing. I lived in a complex where all the first floor apartments were flooded, yet that time I was on the second floor.

I dislike moving. The shelter is not pleasant but it is tolerable.  Note that I lived in the same apartment complex for 20 years. It was 3 blocks from the seminary where I worked.

Obviously I cannot control all the variables. I can invest time to research online and I can go to visit the promising places. I can request prayers. But ultimately I must trust God to guide and provide.

DENTAL

I left another voicemail at the dental school recently. I have not heard back about the discount I was promised in December. I hope that savings of hundreds of dollars will apply to the surgery scheduled for April 17.   

PRAYER

Pray for God to guide my online and offline searches.

May I face and gain victory over my fears.

My voucher expires soon. I was told it is easy to get a one month extension. I plan to go get that extension on Monday, March 13.

THANKS for ALL your prayers.

Shalom

John