Can I tell you how excited I am that our trip is now absolutely, completely booked? Because I am SO excited. Everything is booked, paid for, and all of our travel documents are compiled together in a neat little stack on the bookshelf.
The last thing we booked? Tickets to see Les Miserables in London. I don’t even think I’m ready to talk about that yet because it’s possible my head will explode.
I should be relieved, but the amount of documents and confirmations and plans to keep straight are more than a little overwhelming, especially when I consider the fact that we’ll be packing up the rest of our lives approximately five days before we board our trans-Atlantic flight. Eep.
Speaking of moving. You know, that other thing we’re doing in May? I haven’t even thought about that thing. Yes, you read that correctly. I’ve been planning our 12-day European vacation for over a year, but we’re now two months from transporting our lives over 800 miles away and I haven’t even begun to compile a to-do list.
Well, I guess that’s not true. I’ve booked our movers and reserved a moving van. I know what needs to be done. I need to pack up three years of our lives — currently occupying over 900 square feet of space — and condense it all to fit in a 17-foot moving truck. I also need to find someone to sublet our apartment so we won’t end up paying rent in June and July. Ugh.
What I don’t need is boxes. Because I have a pathological fear of not having enough boxes when I need to move, I refused to throw away any of the boxes we used when we moved here. I also have kept every single box that came into this apartment that I felt might be useful in a move. It began as a single closet full of boxes, but they’ve now spilled out into our guest room. The floor is no longer visible. I open the door to the guest room, and all I can see is a wall of boxes.
Have I mentioned before that I despise moving? It’s pretty much my least favorite thing ever. From the nightmare of going through years of accumulated stuff to the limbo between packing and unpacking, moving makes me anxious, exhausted, and overwhelmed. I’m excited for the change, but I’m preparing myself for the worst this time since we’re not moving into anywhere permanent. I’m staring into several months of limbo until I finally get to unpack all of my boxes and begin decorating my new home.
Anyway, all of this is to say that I’m procrastinating. But on the bright side, did I mention our trip to Europe is completely booked? Because it is.
This is a funny post! Try not to look as moving as a chore but an opportunity to declutter your life and to make choices about what is important now to you and what’s not. You don’t need old school notebooks, perhaps, or it is a chance to cull some clothes items from your closet and donate to a woman’s shelter. Moving is like a snake shedding its skin. It can be a healthy way to make room for new beginnings. I always used to say, you can’t move the new couch in unless you move the old couch out first, (I used to say this about dating).. Do you know the site unclutterer.com ? I love this site and might help you with some moving strategies..
I wish I could help you pack! Just take it in small bites. It really is more manageable. 15 minutes at a time. And once you’ve done 90-120 mins worth, celebrate with something.
In May 2007, Shane and I graduated, got married, packed up everything we had, went on our honeymoon and moved to Pittsburgh. INSANITY. You’re kinda doing a similar all-at-once kinda deal.
So do small chunks! And get rid of as much as you can possibly stand. That’s one less thing that you’ll have to move next time.
.-= Kacie´s last blog ..Part 3: Update on Courtney’s finances =-.
I’m working on this, and it might benefit you, too: living in the moment. You’ve done more planning for future events than most people I know. While planning can be great, excessive planning prevents living in the moment and allows room for much more stress than is needed. This particularly popped to mind regarding your comment about saving boxes. I did that before my last moved. I consciously no longer allow myself to save boxes for the next move, because I realized it was a symptom of me never really settling into where I was and not living in the moment. Whether I knew I’d be living somewhere for 1 year (for a specific fellowship) or 3 years (for a graduate degree), I was already thinking about the next move and all of the ways that I shouldn’t fully settle into where I was. Preparing for the future was zapping my present enjoyment and energy. And it was a mentally unhealthy exercise. I still battle the urge to save boxes (also because I like saving money), but now I try to put more faith in just living in the moment and knowing that what I need in the future will be provided. When I need boxes, I’ll find them. Someone else will be getting rid of them on craigslist, I’ll go to the grocery store and get some, or worst case scenario, I’ll buy boxes (which is awful, but probably better than having piles of them crammed into a closet or bedroom for ages).
I’m so excited that you’re going to Europe! Look at it as a reward for packing and beginning the moving process. Do the hard work, then go play on vacation!
I recently found out that I got accepted to a studyabroad program in Europe this summer (Spain and Italy) and I will travel some in in between the two sessions. Since my spring semster won’t end until five days before I board the plane to go over seas, I won’t have any time to do the research you are posting here. Please share all the great details about where to go and what to do. You will be so much more helpful than you can even imagine. :)