Being Worldly

We are in the process of preparing our house to rent while we are living abroad. We are going to have it painted inside, and have new carpet put in. We will also need to get a new stove. I think that when we are done, it will be nice, although I'm sure it won't be perfect.

Some friends of ours approached us about renting our home. The husband came over and looked at our house. I think he was realistic, and could see that it's not perfect. But I think he could see the potential. We volunteered to lower the rent for them, because it would be worth it to us to have someone we know as renters, and it would help them to be able to afford a bigger house for their family. If they don't rent our house, they will have to rent a smaller one that they can afford. We would still get enough to pay our house payments, plus some extra from them, so we wouldn't be taking a cut in that sense. It seemed like a win win situation to me.

Today the wife came to look at it, and I could tell she was not impressed. She is quite fussy, and is concerned about appearance. In my book, that is the definition of "worldly". And in my view of the world, "worldly" isn't necessarily a good trait. I have always rejected doing things simply for appearance sake. I don't have the time and energy to continually worry about what other people think about me or my home. I do know people who are constantly focused on appearances, and go to great lengths and expense to make sure their appearance is always spot on, so that they can keep up that image. But what if you don't have the money or time to do that? Does that make you less of a person? Of course not. That's why I reject the whole idea of doing things for appearance sake. I guess that's why it bothered me so much that this woman obviously wasn't happy about the idea of renting our house.

Maybe I am going back to the "pessimism or optimism" topic in my last post. She may have come in to my home and looked at the glass as half empty. She could see the old style fixtures. She could see the run down kitchen cupboards. Someone else might come in to my home and see the glass half full. They might see the extra storage spaces that we have created. They might focus on the new flooring we have put in to some of the rooms. It's really all in how you look at it.

My husband and I aren't very social. We don't invite people over, and don't throw parties. After this couple left, I kept saying to myself that this is why we aren't social. We don't want people judging us by our "stuff". I'm not my stuff. And I don't think I'm worldly.

Actually, I'm a little relieved that she didn't seem to like it. I think if they were to rent it, they would be continually "nickle and dime"-ing us to fix things up to their standards. Instead, we will go through a rental company who will find someone who is thrilled to find this house to rent! We will get more money for it too. We may not know the renters, but the company will take care of things for us.

Okay...I'm done venting.