What moving teaches me...

Our packers come tomorrow, so we have been preparing for their arrival.  I know that we are incredibly blessed to have professional movers help make our shipment safe and efficient.  But in the last 10 moves we have determined that there are some things we can do to help facilitate a good unpack on the other end.  That includes keeps the original boxes for every small appliance and piece of electronics we own.  Yes, they take up a lot of room.  But things arrive safely, so I really can't complain.  

I always learn something about myself, my husband or my marriage in this process.  I thought I'd share some of these with you.

1 - Cooking is one of my passions.  And it shows in my collection of pots, pans, skillets, baking dishes, and pie plates that grace by cupboards.  Nobody really needs 6 pie plates, you say?  One day in Oklahoma I baked 14 pies in one day.  You can never have enough pie plates.

2 - Some clothes never go out of style.  I found a couple of dresses that I have had for over 15 years.  They are classically styled and as soon as I loose another 15 pounds I think I'll be able to wear them with pride.  Of course, there are also clothes that went out of style and have now come back.  Not sure why they brought back the maxi dress this summer.  If you're short, it's just an accident waiting to happen.

3 - Some books are here forever.  I still have a lot of books that I got in seminary or in the few years after when I was building my collection.  And I have about 25 novels that I have collected and will pull out and read again and again.  We bought three 7-foot bookcases a few years ago and I thought that I would be able to pare down the volumes to fit into their confines.  It's just not happening.  I'm going to have to find a bookcase for my husband and take over the shelves that he allotted for himself.   This item causes a little friction in our house.  I am the person who reads a book, and if it becomes my friend, I will never give it away.  Others think that any book read once has accomplished its mission in life and needs to be given a new home.  I'll let you guess who is who.

4 - I love my technology.  DVRs (digital video recoders) are my best friends.  I love "taping" lots of stuff and then keeping up with lots of stories.  All of this started when my grandmother introduced me to General Hospital when I was in the 8th grade (yes, I still watch).  Friday nights in college were spent watching DALLAS before going out to have a good time.  I never missed NYPD Blue or The West Wing, and now I'm pretty addicted to SMASH and Castle (which are on at the same time), NCIS and Bones.  Wireless internet, email and social networking.  They all feed into my extrovert side, helping me to be connect to people and to story no matter the location or time of day.

5 - My husband and I love each other a lot.  Moving is hard - physically, emotionally, spiritually.  And it's hard on relationships, because control all but goes out the window.  I live in two worlds where people move a lot - the military and the church.  So it's normal, but it's never easy.  The key to our success is in being honest when conflicts arise, not assuming your partner knows what you're thinking, and choosing your battles.  Are you  really willing to go to the mat over curtains?  Okay, sometimes you are, but choose well and don't use up all your goodwill in one day.

Here's to all of the friends that are also in the same process, maybe more this year than I can ever remember.  Some are moving a couple of hundred miles, others are literally taking planes, cars and ferries to their new homes.  No matter what your destination, I wish you well in the process, in the journey, and in establishing a new chapter in your lives.  It will be grand.

Peace, Deb

PS - in case you were wondering: SC to IL, IL to ND, ND to NJ, NJ to GA, GA to AL, AL to Germany, Germany to OK, OK to OK (new house - yes, it counts), OK to RI, RI to VA, now VA to WA... who knows where next.