I am devastated.
I am also a little excited.
See, we are losing our home, and we have, unfortunately, come to the conclusion that despite our best efforts, we cannot possibly afford to remain in the bay area.
I love it here. This is my home. I have lived here my entire adult life. I have numerous communities here. I have beloved friends, chosen family, lovers, and an amazing tea ceremony mentor here. I love the culture. I love the food. I love Wicked Grounds, I love our scene, I love the redwoods, and I love Stanford hospital. I get the medications I need, here.
It's gonna really hurt, and I'm scared that things won't work out wherever we move to. I'm worried that we won't fit in. I'm worried that I will be lonely and sad.
However!
We are looking at Syracuse, NY. The housing there is so cheap compared to here that we could finally afford a house that we wouldn't have to share with housemates. We could live our lifestyle full time, if we wanted. We wouldn't have to live in fear of losing out home at any moment. We could maybe even save money. Buy some nice furniture. Have enough room in the fridge, at last. Bring out the nice cooking supplies and dishware. Have a LIVING ROOM. Not be pressed in on all sides by too many people sharing too little space.
We could host play parties, if we made good connections in the local kink community. We could exercise in a real back yard! My autoimmune disease is still here, and that would be a long trip to a qualified hospital, but on the plus side, NYC is a little over 4 hours away, so we'd get to visit that at least a few times a year, and I do have a number of friends there.
There is someone there. I really, really, really hope things work out with him, too. I'm feeling pretty gun-shy. I've had my trust betrayed a lot. I've been ghosted a lot. I've had people talk a big talk and then drop me after playing with me once. I've had a lot of people promise one thing and deliver another, but... if it works out with this guy, then I will be a very happy sub, I think.
I want to be able to be the creature that I really am, as much of the time as possible.
So.
Since the bay area is now actively hostile to the poor and disabled, since we don't make six figures and are no longer welcome here, we will forge ahead and try to build a new life for ourselves.
Here's to a future that moves beyond surviving to actually living, and thriving!
If, that is, we survive the pandemic.