Amy, I'd bookmarked this post to comment and I'm doing so much belatedly now -- I'm thinking of you and hope you're dealing as best you can. I empathize so deeply with the moving and exhaustion. I grew up moving a lot in my childhood due to my mom's chemical sensitivity and, while I don't have near her level of sensitivity, have found myself very attuned to various needs in my own dwellings. Having a sanctuary we can call "home" is such a baseline for everything else and can take up so much headspace to get right. You deserve all the peace and tranquility and mostly, to not hack up a lung!
Thank you so much Alicia. I'm sorry you went through that as a kid, but it helps to know that I'm not completely alone in this. I hope that both you and your mom have found homes that work very well for you.
Ugh, that sounds really hard. Every now and then we talk about moving, and I know that I’d need to be EXCEEDINGLY cautious about casing out the noise and smells and sight lines, at multiples times of day, before I could even consider it. We cased out some condos in downtown Seattle at one point, and after touring the third one, I knew I just couldn’t do it (thankfully Sara knew it too). I hope you get it sorted out.
Are you also HSP or is it for another reason? One of the issues is that we're just used to being in Japan. People are very cognizant of noise, smells, etc. If there's a rule or even a suggestion of a rule, people follow it 99% of the time.
The other thing is that we're both from the city. I'm originally from LA and my husband is originally from NYC. We've always lived in urban areas, so being outside of the city feels like going to the moon. Now, we're starting to wonder about things like space, quiet, and clean air.
Hmm, I would never have applied that label but now that you ask, I think maybe it’s true: I’m pretty sensitive to other people’s noises, other people’s smells. I think we all owe it to each other to not inflict our mess on others. And yet I’d swear I’m not a rule follower! Who knows!?
Well, I think most Americans don't believe in rules for the sake of rules, but some rules exist to make it easier to live together in a community. The problem is that we all have different opinions about which rules are good and which ones are dumb.
I've found the HSP label only slightly helpful. It was nice to learn that it wasn't just me, and I'm not crazy because I have the hearing of a bat and the sense of smell of a bloodhound.
Oh my, I’m going to quote that to my wife--I’m exactly the same. I’m all for extensive civility, for never imposing my noises or scents on others, and vice versa. And here’s another: don’t aim your exterior light in my window! (New neighbors; wonderful people, but they’ve put up an outdoor flood light.) Who was it that said that hell is other people?
Oh yeah, I especially hate fluorescent lights. I've long been using blackout curtains installed floor to ceiling, and I attach the sides to the wall. When it comes to lighting, I don't mess around.
Amy, I'd bookmarked this post to comment and I'm doing so much belatedly now -- I'm thinking of you and hope you're dealing as best you can. I empathize so deeply with the moving and exhaustion. I grew up moving a lot in my childhood due to my mom's chemical sensitivity and, while I don't have near her level of sensitivity, have found myself very attuned to various needs in my own dwellings. Having a sanctuary we can call "home" is such a baseline for everything else and can take up so much headspace to get right. You deserve all the peace and tranquility and mostly, to not hack up a lung!
Thank you so much Alicia. I'm sorry you went through that as a kid, but it helps to know that I'm not completely alone in this. I hope that both you and your mom have found homes that work very well for you.
Ugh, that sounds really hard. Every now and then we talk about moving, and I know that I’d need to be EXCEEDINGLY cautious about casing out the noise and smells and sight lines, at multiples times of day, before I could even consider it. We cased out some condos in downtown Seattle at one point, and after touring the third one, I knew I just couldn’t do it (thankfully Sara knew it too). I hope you get it sorted out.
Are you also HSP or is it for another reason? One of the issues is that we're just used to being in Japan. People are very cognizant of noise, smells, etc. If there's a rule or even a suggestion of a rule, people follow it 99% of the time.
The other thing is that we're both from the city. I'm originally from LA and my husband is originally from NYC. We've always lived in urban areas, so being outside of the city feels like going to the moon. Now, we're starting to wonder about things like space, quiet, and clean air.
Hmm, I would never have applied that label but now that you ask, I think maybe it’s true: I’m pretty sensitive to other people’s noises, other people’s smells. I think we all owe it to each other to not inflict our mess on others. And yet I’d swear I’m not a rule follower! Who knows!?
Well, I think most Americans don't believe in rules for the sake of rules, but some rules exist to make it easier to live together in a community. The problem is that we all have different opinions about which rules are good and which ones are dumb.
I've found the HSP label only slightly helpful. It was nice to learn that it wasn't just me, and I'm not crazy because I have the hearing of a bat and the sense of smell of a bloodhound.
Oh my, I’m going to quote that to my wife--I’m exactly the same. I’m all for extensive civility, for never imposing my noises or scents on others, and vice versa. And here’s another: don’t aim your exterior light in my window! (New neighbors; wonderful people, but they’ve put up an outdoor flood light.) Who was it that said that hell is other people?
Oh yeah, I especially hate fluorescent lights. I've long been using blackout curtains installed floor to ceiling, and I attach the sides to the wall. When it comes to lighting, I don't mess around.