MY FIRST APARTMENT

"The past is history, the future is a mystery, and this moment is a gift. That is why the moment is called the present".    --Deepak Chopra

My first apartment was across the street from Cal-State Fullerton.  It was a one room apartment that cost $150 a month to rent. It was such a blessing to be able to walk across the street to school, and not struggle for over a half hour every day to find a place to park.  It was the first time that I ever lived alone, and I was frightened to be there alone at night. My burglar alarm consisted of two long, metal serving spoons that I tied together and hung over the front doorknob.  I realize now that if I had ever heard them clanging together, that I would have probably died of a heart attack.  My boyfriend who was in the navy in San Diego would come down to visit on the weekends, and we were very creative about much of our furniture, a big wooden spool that came from a wire plant, for a table; old wooden seven-up boxes for bookshelves; cement blocks and wooden boards for shelves.  We had so little money and we did so much, life was uncomplicated, and we had so much fun.  It’s hard to believe that I now live in a house that I pay over $1600 a month in house payments. Simple pleasures, hard to believe how the years change living experiences.

Life was simpler back then. I paid about $365.00 in tuition per month, and my first teaching job paid $1,250.00 a month. Now-a-days that is a drop in the bucket for what is paid today.

"You never know what a difference you can make in someone's life, simply by being Friendly."              Sandra Lindsey Smith     -Life's Garden of Weekly Wisdom

What was your first apartment like? What was your rent then compared to today?

Love and light,

Sandy Smith