MOVING

I have decided that moving is like having a baby. It sounds like a good idea at the time, but when in labor, one thinks "NEVER AGAIN!". And I am now in labor.

I had an opportunity to buy a new home in my 55+ park at a great price and with tempting terms. It has the advantages of no stairs, low maintenance landscaping, a walled back yard for Wylee, a 5 year warranty, and all new appliances and electrical things which shouldn't need replacing for the rest of my life! It is more energy-efficient than my current home, and would have better resale. BUT....it is a block further from the pool and my Mom's home (walking is good for me....right? ) But Mom will have further to come for our morning coffee sessions., and I will lose my wonderful neighbors. I will relinquish my handy den off my bedroom and will have a smaller storage shed. BUT...I will have a handy big utility room as I come in from the carport, a much bigger kitchen with pantry and pull-out shelves, and it is bright and cozy with skylights, vaults and tile and laminate floors. BUT....I need to take down all my pictures and THINGS and find places for them. And then there is the packing, lifting, hauling and disorganization until everything finds a place again...or gets a free ride to Goodwill.

Moving provides a good opportunity to go through things, discard the "what have I kept this for?" items, and discover the " so that's where that was" goodies. It is a time of letting go, of re-evaluating priorities and importance, and also a time of finding things that bring back a poignant memory. Friends offer their assistance, but there are just some things that have to be gone through alone. I think of how my treasures which bring me happy memories will be my children's junk to discard someday. One day I think I will write a little note to put behind my artwork and trinkets, and tell the story of why I have kept them all these years. Someday.

In the meantime, I vacillate between the excitement of the new home, and the sadness of leaving this older double-wide that needs some repairs, but has such happy memories of my sister and I painting, my brother-in- laws sharing their carpentry skills in hanging shelves and doing the kitchen floor, my sister putting in plantings around the fountain and pond, and my good friend putting in the tile and new sinks in the bathrooms. It makes it difficult to leave.

So I am in labor....feeling the pains of packing, memories and separation from a place that I have fond memories and great neighbors. I will only be moving a short distance away, yet I won't be able to wave to my neighbors who walk their dog by or come home from their night shift. But you can't go back....always forward to new possibilities. New neighbors, new views, and soon my labor will be over and I will enjoy the birth of a new tomorrow. As I eventually sit out on my new patio with the mountain views and sounds of the nearby fountain, I will enjoy my morning coffee and evening glass of wine with friends and family, and my new house will become home.