How Five Months of Uncertainty Taught Me to BE Well

For the past five months, I've been looking for a new home in a country where apartment hunting is like trying to find a needle in a haystack that's fighting back! When you sign a lease here, there is no end date, but there is a clause stating that if the landlord requires the home for personal use, they can legally ask the tenant to move. And that’s what happened to us after three years in our current home. Fortunately, the landlord gave me six months instead of the 90 days required by law. I was very grateful, but assured him that we’d most likely be out in two months. I mean, how hard could it be to find a new place! [Insert Edvard Munch's The Scream! 😱]

I had what I thought was a pretty simple wish list for the new place: affordable, dog-friendly, comfortable, and preferably with a little outdoor space for Roxie and Clyde. What I didn't expect was just how long the process would take. After years of working through the U.S. real estate system, I didn’t realize how spoiled I was. Apply for a place, get approved, move in.

But here in Germany, where every apartment is owned by a different person [even in an apartment complex!], the process is unpredictable, to say the least. And since most of the population rents, landlords can afford to be unprofessional and change their minds at the last minute without even telling you they’ve moved on to someone else! Add to that the fact that, with so many Americans living in this area, rent is often triple the market value. And don’t get me started on how difficult it is to find a space with two large dogs, even when the landlord has pets!

To put it simply, I had no idea how daunting and frustrating this process would actually be. In the past, such a time of uncertainty would have led to lots of unhealthy choices to cope with the added stress. But in the last few years I’ve worked hard to make overall wellness a priority, and I came to realize that wellness isn't about having it all figured out. It's about learning how to navigate uncertainty without losing yourself in it.

There were certainly times when I felt frustrated, anxious, and discouraged. But I kept reminding myself that I didn't need to know exactly how everything would work out. I just had to keep putting one step in front of the other. I made sure to stay grounded in wellness routines for me and the puppers. We took our daily walks, tried to eat healthy but made sure to have occasional treats, stayed connected with friends, and made sure to have fun OFTEN.

By putting our wellness first, I was able to live in each day rather than allow the home-hunting process to drain every ounce of joy we had. Staying grounded also gave me the strength and confidence to actually turn down places that just didn’t feel right. Keeping my heart and mind in a healthy space led to better decision-making, which led to finally finding the right place.

Weiden in der Oberpfalz

The apartment I ultimately secured just a few weeks ago is perfect for us. It’s in the old town of a city just 20 minutes away—a place I frequent often and am excited to finally be living in. The apartment is just slightly smaller than the house I’m moving from, has lots of quirky character (like myself!), and comes with the perks and challenges of living in the pedestrian area of a very old, historic city. There’s no outdoor space connected to our new home, but we’re just steps away from a beautiful city park with walking and biking trails and a pleasant river that runs through the area.

After a frustrating five months of not knowing where we’d wind up, simply taking the process a day at a time and making sure to the puppers and I stayed grounded in wellness routines made all the difference. There’s lots to do before our move, but I’m looking forward to this next chapter in our journey!

Life isn't about waiting for the storm to pass, it's about learning how to dance in the rain.~ Vivian Greene