What Moving's Good For

I hate moving.  Maybe it's because we've done it every year for the past three years, but I just really  hate it.  I resent packing the things that I haven't used since the last move, I struggle to pack boxes that aren't too heavy or aren't too light, and the thought of shuttling boxes back and forth to or from a moving van makes me shiver.  I am o-ver it.  The one advantage to having a back that goes out all the time is that my husband doesn't make me do the actual physical move- I'm just the packer and unpacker.  

In this past move, the packing was rushed and haphazard and still sucked, but I'm learning to appreciate things while unpacking.  Those of you who have read or practice KonMari will understand.

1.  It gives me the opportunity to touch each thing I own.  While I tried to sort through, sell, and donate as I packed, I just didn't have time to get it all done.   As I unpack and touch each thing I'm asking myself how much it's been used and if it justifies the space it will take up in the new garage.  Since our space is small, it has to really justify itself to be kept.

2.  It encouraged me to get my daughter involved.  People in some of the KonMari Facebook groups I'm part of insist that children as young as 2 can get involved in this process.  I was skeptical.  However, as we began unpacking all my daughter's books last night (which were getting out of control in the apartment) I began asking my daughter if she liked or didn't like a book.  I then asked her if she wanted to keep or say goodbye to a book.  I was amazed by how many books she was ready to say goodbye to.  Some of them I understood she outgrew, some I vetoed because I thought she hadn't grown into quite yet, and some surprised my entirely.  Because she's 2, she has a short attention span and we're only able to go through a few at a time before she becomes distracted by the books she likes and wants to read right then.  I'm thinking that once we finish all the books, I'll then take the box of 'discard' ones, lay them all out and just ask if she's sure she wants to say goodbye to all of them.  I'll then take them to the used bookstore to try to sell and all others will go into our neighborhood's little free library.  We keep her toys pretty minimal, but I'm going to try those after books.

3.  It gives me the freedom to be messy for a while.  I'm not talking about the kitchen counters, although they could certainly use some straightening up.  I'm talking about being okay with boxes and 'stuff' in the way for a bit while you try to go through, reduce, and find the best new home for or way to dispose of.  Going through everything means you need space to gather and sort it before putting it away, selling or donating.  

4.  It allows me to reassess my taste and ensure the space is right for who I am, right now.  I lived in New Zealand for almost four years.  I did a lot of growing up over there and learned so much about who I am.  I bought art and other mementos (such as a small clock) to remind me of that amazing time in my life.  I've loved having all of that surround me the past 7 years that I've been back.  However, in that time I met and married my husband, had a daughter and evolved in general.  Today as I picked up the NZ clock I've had for so many years, I suddenly realized it represented who I was a while ago, not who I am today.  I thanked it for the joy it brought me, wished it well in its new home and added it to the donation bag.  Instead of filling my home with memories of New Zealand, I want to fill my home with things that are significant to all the members of this family.  

5.  It helps me set the current priorities in my life.  This may be restricted to small-space living, I'm not sure.  While this space was built to maximize storage, it's still only 550 sq. ft on the main floor and that doesn't allow for a lot of 'stuff' before feeling cramped.  Last year I began doing the 21 day fix.  While it's nice to be saving on a gym membership, it requires me to have a yoga mat and several sets of weights.  I have to commit to doing the exercises regularly for them to be justified in this space.  I have a box of stuff that I use for meditation and general 'spiritual practice' that's been shuttled from place to place and probably not used since before my daughter was born.  I haven't gotten to it yet (it may still be in storage), but I will have to do some intense introspection to determine if it's worth it to me to keep when I find that once treasured box.   I'm sure I could come up with more examples, but you get the idea. 

At this point, we have no plans to move again any time soon, but we've said that before.  I'm trying to appreciate what this move has offered me and hope that any of you moving any time soon will find a silver lining as well.   

Life Since the Last Post

I last left you where we fired our contractor and were still hoping to get into the garage in December. Things were very bumpy for a while.  We had this great plan, you see.  I took our daughter up to my mom's house for Thanksgiving.  Grandma was then going to watch the little one while I came back to Nashville to help Scott finish things up and pack up the apartment.  We would move the following weekend, and when Grandma drove down with the little one, we would be all moved into the garage. You know what happens to the best laid plans. Unfortunately, the day after Thanksgiving, we got the phone call that my grandma took a turn for the worse and was headed for a short Hospice stay.  My mom, being the pillar of strength that she is, took my beautiful baby girl and one of her girlfriends, and raced down to be with my Grandma.  I still headed back to Nashville, somehow hoping that I could get everything done.  Once I got back and we had a real look at what needed to happen before we could apply for occupancy, we realized that moving the following weekend wasn't going to be possible.  I didn't feel comfortable asking my mom to keep her an extra week.  My Grandma's memorial service was set for the Thursday of that week, so I packed up what I could in the apartment, and headed to IL to say goodbye and pick up my sweet pea.
At this point we came back to an apartment mostly packed (all her art stuff and books, of course) and the further realization that it was going to take every extra second of Scott's nonwork hours to make this move happen (we had to get out of the apt on Dec 12, as they already had another tenant lined up).  We decided that it would be best for me to take Little Miss up north, again, to Grandma's.  This time the dog and I stayed also and settled in for the long haul.  Scott worked his magic, hired some people he trusted, called in his dad and did everything he could do get us occupancy.  It worked!  Our stuff sat in a Uhaul truck for about a week (the most reasonable short term option we could find), but we were finally in!
Here's what we learned- the Certificate of Occupancy just means that your place is safe to live in, not that it's finished.  So, when we finally arrived back in Nashville on the 19th, we had a livable space, but there were still no shelves installed in the kitchen cabinets or the built-in bookshelves.  Scott barely had time to install hanging rods in the closets and there were no drawers or shelves.  I'm not posting pictures, because I don't feel that the place is 'picture worthy' quite yet, but we're learning how to settle into a place that isn't quite finished and getting things done as quickly as we can (I now have kitchen shelves, yay!).  We didn't have a traditional Christmas tree, but we were able to draw one on the chalkboard wall and we did have presents, and our little one was thrilled so that was all good.
Life is settling back into a routine, but slowly.  School starts again next week and I feel like I'll finally have some time to breathe, settle in on my own, and finish doing what it takes to make this space really work for our family.