Since I had arrived in Arkansas in the wee hours of dawn, in the dark, I may as well have been dropped by spaceship onto a remote planet. My old phone was annoyingly slow and did little to help me navigate my new city. I picked up area maps from the welcome center a few days after my arrival, to prevent my getting lost.
The duplex that I had rented before leaving Wyoming seemed pleasant enough at first; but upon closer inspection, it was clearly not what I had hoped for. The original structure was probably built in the 1930’s and had later been converted. Instead of the neighboring half of the duplex being beside me, it was situated on top of me. I was on the ground floor, but there were 4 steps leading up to the bedroom. This room was conveniently large, but the indoor/outdoor carpeting had most likely not been vacuumed since its installation, probably many years earlier. There was only one bedroom window, which could not be opened because of the ac unit that was in it. The kitchen, dining area, and living room were also ample in size and they were bright with plenty of windows and wood floors; however, there were only a couple of kitchen cabinets and a miniature stove. Since I cook all of my own meals, this was a problem.
The laundry room was in the unfinished basement, meant to be shared by both tenants. It was draped with spider webs. The washing machine must have been at least 40 years old and the dryer ran much too hot. There was really no yard to speak of. The toilet had been installed too close to the wall so I had to sit sideways when using it. Thankfully, the shower had been recently updated, but I was disheartened that there was no bathtub. What surprised me most was that there was no central heat. Two space heaters had been provided, but they weren’t really adequate and I was concerned about the bill I would receive if I used them too much. It was the end of February and it was much colder in Arkansas than I had anticipated.
I am always surprised by the filth and poor condition of some of the rentals I have seen. Many landlords do not bother to clean a place before showing or renting it to the next tenant. They often have them rented to the next person even before the current one has moved out because they don’t want to lose a single day of revenue. Corporate greed has filtered down to the upper middle class who can afford to buy rental properties.
I have owned my own home for most of my life, so I understand the constant upkeep that they require. Roofs occasionally need to be replaced. Gutters need to be kept clean and power washing often becomes necessary. Appliances wear out. Walls need to be painted and yards need to be maintained. Far too many landlords care only about their rental income, allowing the properties to fall into grievous states of disrepair.
As a homeowner I never had the desire to rent property. Many tenants have never owned their own home and do not take care of the space they are renting. They may feel that because it doesn’t “belong” to them, they don’t need to clean it or care for it. They can be destructive and leave the landlord with a huge mess to deal with when they move out. Quite often, even those who can afford their own homes, do not take care of them. They may be gone most of the week so that they can work to pay the high mortgage payment, and they play all weekend, leaving little time that they actually spend in their homes.
I was raised with different values. I have always taken care of my things and for the homes that I have lived in, whether I owned or rented them. This is my responsibility. The truth is that no one really “owns” anything. Our very lives, and all that we have been given, the planet we live on, and even our bodies are gifts that we must appreciate and be grateful for. We help to care for our planet by first caring for our own home. When we feel gratitude for what we have, regardless how seemingly inadequate, we create the space for something better to appear.
