Moving can be stressful and it’s definitely a lot of work but it’s also a time for renewal, a time for new beginnings.
It’s refreshing to take the opportunity to purge things you really don’t need that you’ve been hanging on to. I made 3 trips to the Salvation Army in the last few weeks with full trunk loads of old clothes, shoes, blankets, pillows, sheets, kitchenware, and other miscellaneous items. We also sold a few extra pieces of furniture that we no longer needed or don’t have the space for in our new digs.
I know what you’re thinking. What if we need that piece of furniture later? It’s easy to be caught up in the idea that maybe something should be saved because it could be useful down the road. But really, if we need another guest bed someday, we can find another used one on craigslist which was where we found it in the first place. Better to give it to someone who can use it now than for it to take up space in our garage, closets, etc.
I also find the change that is inherent in moving energizing. It’s exciting to have new surroundings to explore. Figuring out how to get organized, how to unfold the trappings of your life into the new configuration of rooms, closets, and cupboards can be challenging but it’s also fulfilling. I’m almost done with all that. I have one small pile of things to sort and put away and all the pictures to hang. All in all, it took us about 5 weeks, from the time I started packing boxes, till the last box was unpacked.
I know some people thought we were crazy to move, especially when we’ll probably be moving again in two years time. But let me tell you some of the reasons that make me want to do a happy dance.
- There’s a pool. Actually, 2. (Do I really need to say more?)
- We can walk right out our front door and around the apartment complex. No driving to the park for a walk. Just walk out the front door – no stairs even. Ah, the beauty of a ground floor unit.
- There have been no bugs (so far) when we’ve walked. (I don’t know how that can be happening. I keep thinking I’m dreaming or our luck is going to come to a screeching halt. But mostly I’m just reveling in the beauty of the fresh air, breeze, birds chirping, and lack of bug spray required to enjoy it all.)
- We’ll be paying $250/mo less rent. (That adds up people!)
- We expect our energy costs to be less because the square footage is less.
The moral to my story? If you’re considering moving but the idea of all the work and stress is keeping you from it, take a chance and just do it. If you are in the process of a move, try not to let the stress and frenzy get you down. It doesn’t last forever. Moving is a great opportunity to start fresh and explore.
20 years from now you will be disappointed by the things you didn’t do than by the one’s you did. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover.
~ Mark Twain
