I recently moved….again. Growing up, my family moved 16 times in 3 years; as a young adult, the nomad lifestyle resumed and it became a lifestyle where I never fully unpacked everything. Moving to Colorado, I was resolved to never move again. Unfortunately, I am on my fourth move in 11 years since planting my family in Montrose.
My packing process is down to a science. Color-coordinated labels for boxes in each room with notes on the contents, packing non-essentials way in advance, blocking out time on my calendar to do a little every day so the actual moving day isn’t too overwhelming, and scheduling move-out dates a few days after move-in dates so it all doesn’t have to be moved and cleaned in a single day. And over the years, I’ve discovered that those “non-essentials” stay packed longer and longer….to the point where I finally got rid of everything I hadn’t used in over six months. It was liberating to reduce the clutter and get rid of the storage unit that was rented just to keep all of those non-essentials from taking up room in the garage. Yes, there have been moments where I could’ve used that food dehydrator that someone bought in a garage sale, but honestly, I don’t really miss the “stuff”.
In the stressful process that moving can be, I tend to put my head down and push to the point of exhaustion and sometimes even physical injury. The term “hangry” is often applied to me because my laser focus and drive can result in forgetting to eat and take care of myself. It was a long moving day where I was reaching the point of tears because moving trailers had been delayed, so we were moving in the dark one night. As I trekked out for yet another load of boxes, my knee gave out when I missed one of the steps. My frustration in that painful moment triggered a pity-party moment that I was fully prepared to wallow in. Looking up to the sky ready to have a “Why God?” conversation, I was stopped in my tracks by the brilliant display of stars speckling the night and the near-translucent moon lighting my way. Instantly my attitude dissolved into a moment of perspective and gratitude. I was so focused on the moving drudgery and putting one foot in front of the other, I failed to look up to take in the celestial splendor quietly existing above me. Missing the forest for the trees robbed me of peace and joy that I could’ve easily chosen to thrive in. A quick prayer reset my mindset and reshaped the rest of the night where I was able to settle into thankfulness for the provision of the perfect house to move into, gracious friends taking time out of their busy schedules to help me, and the chance to start a new chapter.
So, no matter what your season, moving or not, find the moments that will give you back a positive, healthy mindset. And don’t forget to look up.
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