As I would tell people about my plan to move, they'd all say something to the effect of, "Ugh, really? I could never do that." Or "You're going to hate that after living by yourself for so long." And yeah, I would tend to agree with them because it's just human nature. Who wants to move in with their parents at the ripe age of.... well, my age doesn't matter here.
I had a complete meltdown the night I wrote my last rent check out. I kept asking myself what I had done... why did I think this was a good idea? I really thought that moving day would result in a lot of tears and resistance. I don't like change, and I don't like giving up my independence. I prepared myself for a month or better... moving day would be a very hard day for me.
But when it was all said and done, there were no tears. No anxiety attacks or even mood swings. I will admit that I got a little emotional the day I went back to clean. That probably had more to do with the build up than anything. It was that release of "it's finally over" that got to me. I took a deep breath and took one last look around. I made a lot of memories there:
* I made a lot of friends while living there. I also lost quite a few. (What they say about leaving the world with a few good friends is true.)
* I had two serious relationships-- oddly enough, the first couple months that I lived there, and the last month I lived there. I've been single a lot, y'all.
* I let my inner chef out. I cooked... a lot.
* I drank a lot of wine with a lot of good people in that living room.
* I was equally entertained and disgusted by my neighbor and his "help" (someone get that man someone decent!).
* I had a lot of scares: storms, the sound of gunshot in the middle of the night (two times), local happenings that made me uneasy to stay alone, and a construction crew that may or may not have placed a nail under my pillow just to be jerks.
* I dealt with a water heater exploding (and "babysitting a bucket" for a couple days), a light globe falling from the ceiling and shattering into three rooms, and an air conditioning drain flooding down the hallway. The place needed some updating.
* I went through rough times with family. Thank goodness they're stuck with me, or this story might be ending differently.
* I dealt with a terrible job that I hated, every single day. I whined about it a lot, and the truth is... it almost destroyed me. Most people didn't understand (or bother trying) but we'll just say that it's a good thing I got out when I did. I can't say for sure that I'd be here to talk about it otherwise.
* I decided that unless I did something different in my life, I'd live in that apartment forever. Just spinning my wheels....
I opened the door, sobbing, and stepped outside. I turned around to lock the door, then put the key in the mailbox. I looked to my right and there were my "surprise" pumpkins.... yet again. I decided right then and there that they'd be coming with me. I wasn't going to let the next tenant mow over them, or even reap the benefits. I was instantly happier because I knew that I'd have every little thing from my apartment with me where I was going. Even the pumpkins would transplant with me.
It might sound materialistic, but I've just decided that HOME IS WHERE YOUR CRAP IS!! Nothing makes me feel more at home than my pictures... and my scrapbooks... and my cat. All of the things that I couldn't live without would be with me, and the rest would be in storage for later. The situation isn't perfect (we've talked about this before) but I can make do as long as I have my stuff. The stuff that makes up my life and makes me happy. Home is actually where you feel comfortable, but what makes me the most comfortable are the belongings that have made me.
The big move.
It's officially over. The move.
I moved.
Ta-da!!!
I can't say that I'm totally settled in, but I'm closer today than I was yesterday and I plan on making more progress later this week. I'm probably 90% there, if I had to be honest with myself.
The move itself was rough. Storms were in the forecast for the whole week, so I just rented a U-Haul. I don't have the best of luck when it comes to things, so this was just safer. And BY GOD, it was a good call! Thursday (the 30th) was the biggest moving day. It was the day I had my dad, mom and boyfriend to help. It was also the day we were placed under a tornado watch and had large storms headed straight for us. *sigh*
I got up at 7, got myself some breakfast and came to my parents' house to pick up my dad. We got the truck at 9, and just like clockwork, it started raining. The off and on thing would happen all day, with the biggest downpours hitting while we were at the storage unit... almost every time. At one point, all 4 of us were standing inside with all these boxes and furniture, just staring at the truck that was but a couple of feet away. What could you do? You just had to wait for it to let up. Did I mention that was the trip that the cat was being transported? Oh yeah, she was in the car. Talk about heart attack. The poor thing will never be the same. (She was even medicated for this special day.)
Roughly 12 hours after the huge undertaking (who knew I had that much crap?!), I gave up and went to bed. After all, I had to work the next morning. It was quite a day. Things in my life don't go as planned, but I think that's my hint to start being more flexible. And I was-- I made it work.
I really can't thank those who helped enough. Both of my parents were real troopers that day. My dad was still getting over a stomach bug from 3 days before, and my mom has never been much for manual labor (she tries... she's just very... girly). I told the boyfran we had it under control, but he showed up anyway. That was a huge life saver because he could lift heavy things with my dad. Yay. We needed him more than I realized. I took him to dinner later that week as repayment.
My parents? Meh, they do this all the time. My sister moves WAY more than I do. But I plan on cooking some good dinners to share with them. That counts for something, right?
I'm just glad that's over. And MAN, I need to start throwing things away! Nothing in this world can make a person crave minimalism more than moving. I really need to work on that.
I moved.
Ta-da!!!
I can't say that I'm totally settled in, but I'm closer today than I was yesterday and I plan on making more progress later this week. I'm probably 90% there, if I had to be honest with myself.
The move itself was rough. Storms were in the forecast for the whole week, so I just rented a U-Haul. I don't have the best of luck when it comes to things, so this was just safer. And BY GOD, it was a good call! Thursday (the 30th) was the biggest moving day. It was the day I had my dad, mom and boyfriend to help. It was also the day we were placed under a tornado watch and had large storms headed straight for us. *sigh*
I got up at 7, got myself some breakfast and came to my parents' house to pick up my dad. We got the truck at 9, and just like clockwork, it started raining. The off and on thing would happen all day, with the biggest downpours hitting while we were at the storage unit... almost every time. At one point, all 4 of us were standing inside with all these boxes and furniture, just staring at the truck that was but a couple of feet away. What could you do? You just had to wait for it to let up. Did I mention that was the trip that the cat was being transported? Oh yeah, she was in the car. Talk about heart attack. The poor thing will never be the same. (She was even medicated for this special day.)
Roughly 12 hours after the huge undertaking (who knew I had that much crap?!), I gave up and went to bed. After all, I had to work the next morning. It was quite a day. Things in my life don't go as planned, but I think that's my hint to start being more flexible. And I was-- I made it work.
I really can't thank those who helped enough. Both of my parents were real troopers that day. My dad was still getting over a stomach bug from 3 days before, and my mom has never been much for manual labor (she tries... she's just very... girly). I told the boyfran we had it under control, but he showed up anyway. That was a huge life saver because he could lift heavy things with my dad. Yay. We needed him more than I realized. I took him to dinner later that week as repayment.
My parents? Meh, they do this all the time. My sister moves WAY more than I do. But I plan on cooking some good dinners to share with them. That counts for something, right?
I'm just glad that's over. And MAN, I need to start throwing things away! Nothing in this world can make a person crave minimalism more than moving. I really need to work on that.
