One More Narrative

Windowed Water Street Resident

I moved into this building when my wife died last year. The big apartment we shared on the Upper East Side just didn’t make sense to me anymore. I did not need all of the space and I found myself feeling incredibly lonely without my wife. I often would ramble around the empty rooms of our apartment. The silence was horrible. We had lived in this building for years, but never interacted with our neighbors. I guess that is the nature of New York. When I was deciding where to live, assisted living was not an option for me. I am not old enough yet. I guess you could say I am a young widow. I had traveled in Denmark and was interested in their cohousing projects. The idea of people living and working together towards a common goal was inspiring to me. Naturally, living alone has been a big change for me. I don’t cook and I am just learning how to do laundry. My deficiency in these areas does not seem to be a problem here. Communal dinners are a way for me to eat and learn to cook at the same time. I am learning other new hobbies as well. I regularly attend daily yoga sessions on the roof as well as assist in running the co-op. It is nice to have something to do with my free time. My apartment is just the right size for me and me alone. I have all that I need to live. My small kitchenette is just big enough for me to make coffee and have a few staples in the house. When my children and grandchildren come to visit, I rent one of the guest rooms on my street. These rooms are great. Sometimes tenants rent them because they are working on something that requires more space. Other times residents rent them because they have friends coming to town.