Moving House
CBMUSED at 8:42 pm Category: GeneralTags: homesickness, new home, sentimentality
Moving house is one of the most strenuous experiences one can endure, ranking high on the stress metre level with death, divorce and losing a job. All of which allude to a loss of sorts.
There are two places to take care of, two places to scrub clean. Then the packing of your belongings from one house, ensuring nothing breaks or is lost in transit, followed by the onerous unpacking while you try fit objects in new spaces that once had a comfortable home. Your favourite wall art no longer matches the new place. Your well-loved vase that once graced the entrance of your old home looks totally out of place. Mmm… and you’re too sentimental to purge.
A period of adjustment ensues; a new place to eat, a new place to sleep yet the bed feels awfully familiar. Then an eerie sense of homesickness sets in, and a general disorientation follows for a day or four. There’s always a well-meaning new neighbour who pops in, or a few friends who arrive unexpectedly with a few cold ones and a gourmet pizza. Every little bit helps to make the new place feel like home.
So with all this to consider, I shouldn’t be surprised that emotions have been a little highly strung. But what is one to do after the last wistful glance, the last c-ya has been said and one is tripping over boxes?
It’s simple.
Don’t do it alone. Do it in company. A strong and full-bodied company. Like that ageing Cabernet Sauvignon you’ve saved for a special occasion. Decanted and poured into your best glassware. If you can find them. Failing that, a six pack will do just fine. On a man. Naturally.
After all, can you think of a better way to settle in a new home?
December 7th, 2007 at 12:05 am
I’m usually holding a six pack. Is that what you meant?
And I agree with sentiments related to moving. The packing/unpacking gets my vote for worst task. I’d rather move heavy furniture or boxes any day of the week over packing/unpacking all of my stuff.
December 7th, 2007 at 5:32 am
Moving - a truly interesting experience! Hope it goes well for you.
December 7th, 2007 at 5:36 pm
Grad School Reject: well, holding a six pack or having one? Or both?
I’d rather just move in, sometimes with new furniture and without all the baggage!
Jarod: thank you. I’m looking forward to settling into my new place quickly. And welcome :).
December 10th, 2007 at 6:22 pm
All changes, even the most longed for, have their melancholy; for what we leave behind us is a part of ourselves; we must die to one life before we can enter another. -Anatole France-
December 10th, 2007 at 8:35 pm
Sidney: this sums up exactly how I feel, leaving a part of me behind in the old house. Thank you for the quotation, and welcome :).