On Moving On

As with a lot of processes in life, moving yourself and your belongings to a different place has several stages. At the start, there is a sense of anxiety with a tinge of excitement---depending on the circumstances that led to the move: Are you moving for positive reasons? Are you moving in with someone or moving away from someone? Do you want to do this or have to do it?

Then you are overwhelmed by the magnitude of the task: two suitcases or a houseful, you still have to get everything from point A to point B. Some people use this stage to divest themselves of unnecessary clutter, involving decisions over priorities. You discover that your needs and tastes have really changed since the last move.

Then,(and if you are lucky, with the help of true friends) you buckle up and do it! You get it over with, and enjoy a few beers afterwards.

Finally,(and this is the stage I’m at right now) you discover things you took for granted are no longer at your fingertips, and you have to go looking for them, sometimes discovering they never made it to the new place.

An end-result of this whole moving scheme is changes, slight or major, to one’s life style. Maybe you do more walking, or eat differently because of the restaurants and stores nearby. There might be a church or temple across the street you decide to check out, or a one- of-a- kind bookstore. Maybe the new location is quieter and more conducive to reflection and quiet time.

All in all, you discover things about yourself and your relationship to your environs.
As the Buddha noted, everything is changing and everything is connected. We are constantly moving on in life, leaving people and needs and desires behind as sometimes they leave us behind. Who and what we take with us provides a home for who we are.