Friday, July 10, 2009

Moving and Gratitude


Since I am STILL in the throws of moving and having such a hard time dealing with all the chaos, disorder, cleaning, packing, unpacking, rearranging, getting rid of things, etc. etc. I've started having a bad attitude about the whole thing. I realized how bad it had gotten when, one night, I had a dream the Mr. had died. And, though I was, of course grief-stricken at losing him, what bothered me the most (in the dream!) was that I would have to move again! This was a sign to me that I need to change my attitude about moving, since it seems to be my lot in life to do so frequently (we've been married just under 8 years and have already moved 10 times!)

So, I've decided to compile a list of things for which I am grateful, with regards to moving:

Moving has made me appreciate:

~The opportunity to declutter. I am, by nature, a 'pack-rat', so frequent moves have forced me to learn to let go of excess and simplify my life!
~The opportunity to deep clean regularly. I manage to stay on top of the day-to-day cleaning (for the most part) but I'm not very good at the whole 'deep cleaning' you're supposed to do every 6 months or so. Moving forces me to do this, since we're almost never in the same place for more than a year!
~The opportunity to make new friends. I am somewhat predisposed to being shy, but frequent moves have afforded me the opportunity to meet new people and make new friends everywhere I go.
~The opportunity to find things I've been missing. Once we lost a library book, and I was certain I had taken it in. When we moved we found it behind/underneath the bookshelf (where I had looked, but would never have found until actually moving the entire shelf!) Woohoo!
~The opportunity to develop a list of likes/dislikes. Moving so frequently and living in so many different homes/apartments/states/cities/etc. has really given me a taste of what I want in a location, home, neighborhood, ward, school, etc. I've got a good list going so that, when the time (finally!) comes for us to get a house of our own, I will know exactly what I want. Living in our last home (5800 sq ft), for instance, has taught me I do NOT want an excessively large home and yard (unless I intend on having hired help). It is SO much work to keep up! Big homes are overrated, in my opinion.
~The opportunity to have a fresh, new start. This is one reason why the Mr. LOVES moving.
~The opportunity for physical activity. Let's face it. I'm a lazy couch potato. Moving gets me off my duff and gives me that little kick in the seat I need to get moving. Packing, cleaning, carrying boxes up and down stairs. Quite a workout, I must say. Goodbye, love handles! :)
~And, finally, and most importantly, my children. They have truly been troopers through all of these moves, and have even been such good helpers - packing up their things, carrying little loads in and out of the house, being told they couldn't play with things that were already packed, being neglected while their parents spend hours packing/unpacking/cleaning/etc. And, their enthusiasm about our new place has been enough to keep me going.

So, in 10 months when I'm moving yet again, I'll look back on this list and try to buck up instead of moping around feeling sorry for myself.

9 comments:

Queen Bee said...

Ugh. I totally understand about moving. This is move number 7 in 7 years of marriage. In my case I Wish I could be helping pack and sort and stack, but I just watch from the bed and try not to barf!
I too have noticed what things I really like and don't like about houses. So you're moving back into an apartment for 10 months? And then where?
We miss you guys!

Jennie said...

I'm here for ya! It's been almost 2 months since we've been in our new place and I finally only have a few more things to rearrange, unpack and finalize. It takes a long time to move, especially when you have kiddos (and a pregnant, get tired easily, body!)

Good luck with the packing, I wish I could help out with watching the kids for you!

Dane G said...

Let's see...8 1/2 years of marriage, 7 states, 23 moves...And Jen still loves me!

Timani said...

I feel your pain! The upside of moving so much is a great chance to get rid of all the junk we collect.
Once you finally get settled (yay, it's coming soon!)you never really ever get to it and stuff PILES!

5800 sq ft...whoa! (I'll tell you, I think 2500 needs hired help also!)

Nina said...

Packrat? What?? Does that make me a Pack-dinosaur??

Also, Love handles and lazy?? sheesh! No one who knows you would agree. Sorry you have to move again and we can't help.

Alex said...

I feel for you. Way to think of the positives. You came up with a longer list than I could have. One of my favorite things about buying a house was knowing that we wouldn't be moving again for a while. Good luck!

Us, the Gilson's said...

Okay, I won't give the details on how many times we've moved... but I will say I can COMPLETELY understand. I don't know how to not have itchy feet i guess. K, now you need to let us know how to get in touch with you. We're back in Utah and need to get together -- maybe relax after a stressful situation like (shhh... ) moving.

Amy Brinton said...

Oh Sarah, I'm glad that I read this. I'm grateful for our fresh start in our new, clean place (with no clutter on board!). I'm looking forward to an easier move next time (11 months) because we were able to get rid of so much and are trying to live more simply. That's the plan, anyway! Good luck!

Cam and Shae said...

That is one of the funniest, saddest dreams I have heard of:) I am sorry you have to move but way happy you moved here with the 1400 court again:) Let sjust hope you don't have to move for a long time so thet you aren't wishing someone died just so it is less stuff to move. Ha Ha:)