What does having a baby and moving have in common?
There’s no good time. Your life will be consumed, whether by diapers and nighttime feedings or boxes and packing tape. You just have to jump in and do your best to stay on top of it.
Well, I’m done having babies but right now I’m getting ready to move. My husband and I just bought a house in California. The plan is for me to head out West first so I can oversee the remodel and get everything set up, with Sandy to join me at a later date. Meanwhile, I’m up to my eyeballs in moving plans and soon, I’ll be packing. Is this really happening? I feel as ill-equipped to handle it at my age as I am to have a baby.
It’s been thirteen years since my last move. I had more bounce in my step then than I do now and the move was only across town. Now I’m facing a cross-country move in my seventies. Yikes!
No matter. I will do what needs to be done. I am made of strong stuff, though the “stuff” has seen some wear and tear. I’m also very organized. Armed with lists, a woman can conquer the world, I believe. It helps that our move will take place in stages. We will keep a residence in New York until Sandy retires from his TV job in a year or so. We’ll travel back and forth in the interim. So whatever isn’t shipped out West now will be moved at a later date. A bit more complicated than doing it all at once, but easier in one sense: There won’t be as much to pack and unpack at the other end.
Right now I’m in the process of weeding through the stuff from my closets and cupboards. It goes into one of three piles, depending on whether it’s to be kept, donated to charity, or tossed. Not always an easy decision to make, but I’m fairly ruthless when it comes to “triage.” My rule of thumb: If I haven’t worn something in a year, out it goes. Who needs to be haunted by the Ghost of Dress Sizes Past or have their favorite items of clothing crammed in together like teenagers at a rave?
As for the contents of my kitchen cupboards, I’m seeing this as an opportunity to clear out old spices and any canned goods that are past their sell-by date. Also, goodbye to Jell-O molds and other kitchenware I rarely use, as I don’t entertain as much as I did in the past. Goodbye to the unused jarred foods from the back of my fridge that I was saving for…what exactly? (Pickled jalapenos, anyone?)
Getting rid of stuff is liberating, I’m finding. Out with the old, in with the new. If only I could exchange my aging body for a younger one while I was at it. A body with a back that didn’t ache and knees that didn’t creak. But you can’t have everything in life. I’m grateful to still be capable of tackling a move at my age. Though, as I told my husband the other day, “Never again!” Next time I move it will be in a box.
Am I still writing in the midst of the madness, you might ask? You bet. I crinkle it when I can. Because for a writer, there is never a question of priorities. Writing always comes first. Even when I was having my babies, I wrote, if only to scribble a few lines in a notebook while they were napping. Already I’m picturing my writing nook in my new home and wondering where my desk will go. Facing the window looking out on the garden, perhaps. As I imagine myself sitting at my desk in my new home, the hard slog I face in moving seems doable. I’ll get there, one way or another.
Decluttering is wonderful Eileen, as you know we have just moved too. It is liberating to get rid of stuff which I did very well. The hardest thing was culling my TBR pile of books. My signed books are still boxed up awaiting cabinetry to be built which had a 16 week wait so I am looking forward to seeing them back in a bookcase. Also we are sharing a tv which is actually working quite well. We have different taste in viewing and David has a set of wireless headphones which means I can read while he watches his shows, mine I am happy to wait until my tv arrives then I can catch up later. We have met some lovely like minded people here and don’t regret the move. Looking forward to watching your progress 😀
Thanks for your supportive words! I am pretty organized, which I’ve got going for me. I’m about halfway through my packing and expect to finish this weekend. The movers come next week. I just have to be careful to pack my suitcase before they get here so I don’t have them take something I might need. Hope you get your bookcase built soon. I will need to have one built for our new home as well.
You are about to get a new surge of energy, stimulation and *fun* after this move. It’s a new chapter unfolding. A glorious new chapter. Congrats to you both.
Thanks, Doug! And Sandy can finally get that classic car he’s dreamed of owning.
We moved every 3 yrs (Military) I loved it… all the decluttering that took place. Start fresh somewhere new. Can’t wait to see your new home all set up! Best in the process.
Wow, I don’t know how you did it. I don’t to ever move again. I’d be too old and it would probably kill me!
Good luck. I’m in southern CA. Moving is a pain. Happy to hear you’re still writing. Love your books!!! Happy move
Thank you! I need all the luck I can get. And I appreciate the words of support for my writing 🙂
I feel your pain. We retired in June. I am stilled retired, but Lamont decided to return to work. I ride with him to keep him informed of which kids are on the bus each day so we do not make wasted trips. I mail notes or cards to our five great grandkids each month. They are Clara 9, Connor 8, Olives is almost 6, Greyson will be 2 in Nov. and Delainey will be 2 on Dec. 1st.They all live in the Dayton Ohio area and we make trips there as often as we can. But, thank God for Facetime to keep us connected. Between laundry, cooking meals and housework. I cannot understand how I worked 2 jobs for 18 years, one of them driving my school bus and the other working as a paraprofessional inside the school .I drove bus for 36 years. I have had little time for writing stories or poems, but maybe soon…..keep writing your wonderful books and I will keep reading them.
I hear that a lot from new retirees: They don’t know how they managed their jobs when they worked on top of their other activities. My sister, for one. She’s an artist and simply can’t recall how she managed her hobby along with her fulltime teaching job. I don’t plan to retire, but moving is a whole other situation that will require careful management!