Moving Madness

You never realize just how much stuff you own until you try to move it all to a new place. Playing real-life Tetris with boxes and couches in trailers opened my eyes to the fact that our little apartment really held a great volume of belongings inside. Thankfully our family and friends were able to come help us move things, or we would never have gotten it all done (shout out to all you lovely people-- you're wonderful!!!).

Moving is always stressful, but our most recent experience was made even more chaotic by the fact that we had planned a family vacation only five days after we closed on our new house. I had the day of our closing off from work, but other than that, we had to move everything and clean the apartment after work that week. With stress levels running high and sleep levels dangerously low, we somehow managed to get it all done.

The experience served as a good reminder that I can't control everything, especially timing. If I had my way, I would've set aside a few weeks in my schedule to devote to packing, organizing, cleaning, loading up vehicles, unpacking, painting, and decorating.

But, alas, that is not how this whole thing went down. Instead, I was running around like a chicken with its head cut off, trying to accomplish too many things in too short of a time. Thankfully there were other people to step in and offer to help, because I realized I couldn't do it all myself (despite all my efforts to the contrary).

I was less involved in church and community things due to moving logistics and our family trip, and coming back reminded me just how vital having a solid community is. I needed those people when everything seemed like more than I could bear. Who was I to think that I could take such a big step in buying a house without a little help from my friends and family?

But I learned. I realized it's necessary to acknowledge my limits and accept help instead of trying to do everything myself. I came to see that my own expectations caused most of my stress, and I'm much happier if I set the bar a bit lower and allow myself to rest. I learned that not everything has to get done at once; it's okay if people come over and see piles of unpacked boxes or blank walls or a room devoid of furniture. It was a humbling experience for someone who typically cares so much about presentation.

Of course, that was temporary; we've gotten things pretty much squared away, but I'm still trying to hang onto the concept of not needing to have everything spic and span in order to be hospitable.

We're certainly not done, but we've made some big strides in making the house feel like home. We painted, bought furniture, and unpacked all the boxes, so I'm okay with letting the smaller things take their sweet time.

And for anyone who's curious, here are some pictures of our new place: