All told, the hardest part of moving to a new place was getting Cali into one of the carriers.
Finding a new place we liked? Actually kind of enjoyable. Our agent was super helpful and easy to work with. Banking? A bit chaotic with a few frustrating delays and dead-ends, but it got done eventually. Paperwork? There was certainly a hell of a lot of it, but in time all the t’s were crossed and i’s were dotted, and I made it a point to save every homeowner copy and pdf sent our way for future reference. Waiting for moving day? We planned it out so there was a bit of an overlap, so we had access to our new place while still emptying out the old one, and moved several things ahead of time to make it easier. Packing? Thankfully we prepared at least a good few months ahead of time, slowly boxing everything up. I must have made seven visits to the local Goodwill to donate the stuff we no longer wanted, each trip with six or more boxes of stuff. Setting up a mover? Easy-peasy, and the team I hired did an excellent and extremely quick job. Updating all the mailing addresses? Easy, though of course we’d forgotten a few post-move as is normal. Even the unpacking was quicker than expected, considering how detailed we’d been in packing in the first place. Certain items went straight down to the garage storage, while others went into specific rooms. All told, everything went as smooth as we’d hoped it would with minimal issue.
As for the cats, Jules didn’t fight too much. She got a bit cranky but she kind of understood what was happening, considering various pieces of furniture were suddenly disappearing along with the curious mountains of boxes they’d been climbing all over the previous month or two. She might be the more vocal of the two any other time, but she’s also very quiet when things get tense or confusing.
Cali, on the other hand? She turned into a full-on chaos goblin. It took three of us to get a hold of her, wrap her in a towel, deposit her in the cat carrier while she flailed and clawed, then zip it up before she could jump out for the fourth time. Our friend C was laughing the entire time, it was so comical. And Cali was not happy and made sure I knew about her displeasure until I took them both over and set them loose in the office for a day or two until everything settled and we put more boxes away.
All told, it only took them maybe a day or two to get used to the new place, and they love it here. More windows, more things to explore, more birds outside to watch, and even a stairway to run up and down. And they love skittering and drifting across the floor instead of digging into carpet. Life is good for our two silly cats.
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On a more personal note, it feels good to start fresh on that ‘clean slate’ level. I’m still feeling my way around figuring out what habits and processes I’d like to return to and which ones I’d like to change, but for the most part it’s been a lot easier than before, when I still had my creative past all around me. I hadn’t realized how much of an issue that had been, given our minimal storage space in the last two places we’d lived in. Back in my Belfry days, I could store a lot of my old stuff in filing cabinets or in the boiler room, but over the last several years I only had plastic bins and IKEA storage boxes that had to be shoved under the bed or in the deep recesses of what little closet space we had. In our new place, those bins and boxes are on the lower shelves of a unit I set up in the garage. Well out of the way but still easy to access if necessary. [I suppose I should eventually spend some time getting all of it in a better order, but there’s no rush right now. Maybe in the new year.]
This, in a roundabout way, has helped me focus more on the mental and emotional clarity I’d been working on over the last few years. There are still a few bumps in the road here and there, but I’m doing pretty well right now considering. I’m realizing that there are still a few self-built obstacles to work through, but those are much easier to face these days. Perhaps it comes with age that I’ve learned not to be so emotionally reactive to it all. I’ve learned what to work on and what to let go. I’ve learned when to keep fighting and when to move on.
It’s true, moving house did assist somewhat in all of that, partly because I’d chosen the ‘clean slate’ route. It inspired me to remain on top of it all and not get overly distracted. It offered more clarity going forward, making my path easier to navigate. Older thoughts and ideas cast aside, paving the way for new ones to form without all the clutter.
Sure, this might be another one of my patented year-end Best Laid Plans rambles, but I’d like to think that despite that happening, I have a much better chance of seeing it through than in the past. And I’d like to think that’s something worth looking forward to.
Welcome to Bridgetown 