Moving On and More Money

From time to time, we all have to move - to a new house, to a new job, or perhaps onto new relationships.

Currently, I am moving into a new art studio at Savage Mill. (Of course, the rent is higher.) More money. I tend to have high expectations, but I have quickly learned that high expectations cannot be applied to moving. One would think this is obvious, given the fact that I have completed all sorts of moves, but with each new situation, hope springs eternal - until the inevitable problems crop up.

The first step is getting maintenance work done to the space. Usually, the last tenant seems to always have strange taste in wall colors, so painting is required. Since my studio does double duty as a gallery, I bought paint in a color I liked for the maintenance crew to use. More money. After a week, the remaining blood red wall is staring at me defiantly. Work was delayed because the HVAC system wasn't working, so everyone's space was like a sauna, and the maintenance crew was feverishly working to help the merchants and customers cool, in more ways than one.

Until the walls are complete, the floor cannot be cleaned. Until the floors are cleaned, furniture and art supplies cannot be moved in. Then there is the old carpet my husband and I managed to roll up to be removed, which I keep tripping over. And the wall sized mirror, just an accident waiting to happen.

Then there is the lighting situation. The space has great ceiling lights, but no wall switches. A step ladder is needed to turn them on and off, so an electrician has to be hired to put in wall switches. More money. (The tenant in the space next door just ran extension cords to the wall outlets, but the look is not what I am going after.)

Since there were no wall switches, the prior tenant left the lights on continuously, and all of the bulbs are dead. More money. (I found this out the hard way, but I did get a free electroshock treatment.) Some of the dead bulbs are actually fused into the fixtures, so the lighting fixtures may be ruined, which means new lights will need to be installed. More money.

After cleaning up broken light bulbs, I left. It is Friday. My husband and I are taking a long weekend on our boat, and I can paint, and put all this on the back burner for three days. Some say I set my expectations too high. But how can great things be achieved without great expectations? Life is full of mediocrity. Every once in a while, it is nice to see high expectations realized - but not when moving!

Lesson learned. Actually four lessons - one (1) needs to be patient, or (2) just do it yourself, and (3) plan to throw a lot of money at whatever you are trying to do. Kind of like owning a boat. And last but not least, (4) expect the best, but prepare for the worst!

To all those who are moving on, good luck!

Cathy