My current apartment is perfect except for one issue … the issue of mould appearing on the aluminium window frames due to condensation.  My lease expires soon … and so for the past 2 months I’ve been looking for another apartment, as I don’t want to continue under the risk of mould spores affecting my health.  Damp rid hasn’t fixed the issue, and so I wipe down the window frames repeatedly.

But as I checkout apartments, one after another, they all have evidence of mould issues.  And apart from the mould issue, I’m also realising just how good I’ve got it where I am, in terms of what I pay, for what I’ve got, and where I am.

And so the challenge is:

Is your only reason for leaving, because you fear the risk to your health?

What if you flipped it and chose to deal with the risk to your health, so you had every reason for staying?

I’ve  read the lease agreement and it’s not my responsibility to deal with the mould issue in my apartment … I’ve done all I can do in terms of preventing the cause of mould (condensation) from continuing … so it’s a structural issue of rising damp.

But I’ve also been reflecting … while I’m preventing the continuation of, and the original issue is the responsibility of the landlord, no-one has dealt with the start up issue of the mould.

Over the years … those mould spores have grown as a result of dirt and  grime building up in the window tracks and then the addition of condensation … or at least that’s what the articles I’ve been reading say.

So who deals with this middle ground?  It’s very obvious by the landlord’s lack of action that he’s not interested in fixing anything.  So now it’s back to me … should I continue in my pursuit to leave … or is it worth my effort to try to fix my reason for leaving, in order to gain all the benefits of staying?

Earlier this week the following quote came up on social media.

It challenged me, but I didn’t know why, or in reference to what?  Then today after looking at more apartments that left me still looking … the challenge to leave or stay came, and the memory of the above quote shortly followed.

While it’s difficult looking for an apartment, every day searching online for rentals, registering for inspections, losing my Saturdays … the idea of cleaning the window tracks, and the possibility of still having a mould issue, is a greater difficulty.  BUT . . . today I’ve had a few light bulb moments:

“The essential oils course you’re doing has just covered the topic of how to eliminate mould issues.”

“Your new neighbour you met last week at the tram stop … told you how she had just cleaned her windows with a $25 steam cleaner from Kmart.” 

and lastly …

“You’re equipped to fix the issue to be able to stay, you just have to action it, or you can leave. Your choice! You choose.”

Leaving or Staying

Running or Confronting

The choice is yours.

“Not my responsibility”

Is NOT a valid reason.

Choose the great that is to come.

By walking the difficult of now.

Are you leaving or Staying?

Are you running or confronting?

The choice is yours … regardless of who’s responsibility it is … there’s a choice to be made for or against the great and the difficult. But it’s a package deal, and one where the difficult comes before the great!

I never considered that I was running with fear … just that I was leaving the risk.

But it’s a matter of choice:

No difficult, no great.

OR

Know difficult, know great!

Responsibility is not just about correct ownership.

It can also be a behavioural choice that inspires others.

If no-one ever picked up the rubbish that others dropped,

in order to create a nicer environment …

we would see the fullness of ‘neglected responsibilities’

that were never owned or taken up by anyone,

regardless of who’s responsibility it is, or was.