Leif and I have moved four times in the last 11 months. Four moves in such a short timespan have convinced me that moving brings out the worst in us.
If you haven’t moved in a while you may feel immune, but odds are you know someone who has recently unloaded a U-haul or is currently squirrelling away box. You may be suspect of why they haven’t showered in three days or brushed their hair in two (I’m describing myself just a few days ago), but it’s because moving is beyond brutal.
Scheduling. Organizing. Packing. Sorting. Tossing. Lifting. Padding. Wrapping.
Running out of boxes. Running out of paper. Running out of time.
Moving dishevels our emotions.
Boxes with old photos, mementos from past eras of life, long-forgotten souvenirs. The wellspring of emotios gushes, rushes, drains, refills.
Moving exhausts our ability to make choices.
Keep or toss? Box or wrap? Hold on or let go? Treasure or junk? Buy new or keep the old? Update or renovate?
Moving forces us to second guess.
What if the person who gave this to me asks about it? Why did I buy two of these? Why did I hold onto this for so long? Why am I such a consumer?
Moving ushers in exhaustion.
The long days and uncomfortable nights take a heavy toll. Everything inside is worn and weary.
We move from a version of our best selves to our stressed selves. Somewhere in the jumble communication wanes. Everything feels discombobulated because, well, everything is discombobulated.
Four moves in 11 months. People keep saying, “Aren’t you excited to be in your home?” And I say, “Yes, I’m grateful!”
And I am thankful, but honestly I feel like an untrained marathon runner who somehow managed to collapse over the finish line.
Sweaty. Stinky. Irritable.
As far as tactics to overcome the hardships of moving, I only have a handful I’ve discovered:
1. Hire a moving company. If this isn’t in your budget (and it’s not in ours), at least hire a couple of people off Craigslist or from the youth group to do the heavy lifting.
2. Use NextDoor App to find people in your neighborhood who have moving supplies they want to have carried away.
3. If you’re grabbing boxes from people who just moved (and we did this a lot), bring them home and stack them in the rooms/areas that are already labeled on the box. It took me three moves to figure out that people had pre-labeled the boxes for me. Why cross out what they wrote when I need boxes in all the rooms already labeled?
4. Bathe yourself and your family in prayer. All kinds of things can get hurt in a move—including feelings, bodies, and that wagon full of stuff. Take a few moments, especially on the big days, to pray.
5. Pack water and snacks. Moving requires lots of water and food. Stock up an easy to grab supply—including fresh fruits and veggies.
6. Cash in on your gift card supply. If someone handed you a gift card to a restaurant, use it during moving week to order in or grab food.
7. Remind everyone you live with on a regular basis: “We’re all on the same team!”
After all the dust settles, there will come a day when you’ll get to speak the words that we all long to say:
“It’s so good to be home.”
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