A WILL + A WAY

In times of stress or hardship, we discover our relentless nature. We find out we are far more capable of accomplishing things than previously thought. The saying holds true: ‘Where there’s a will, there’s a way’. If this move has taught me anything, besides the importance of being organised, it is strength beyond our imagination.

This move has been the most difficult of all of the many moves I have made; including the time I drove a U-Haul from Colorado to Sacramento in 24 hours non-stop during a winter snow storm. Though I had a month to move, in the end I realised I had underestimated the time needed to make such a move by myself.

The final weekend of moving started Friday afternoon when I came home from work at the same time the children got off the bus. That was their last time riding the bus whilst staying with me. I had hoped to be able to take them to their father’s place earlier than our 18,00h drop off time. However, he was on a business trip and did not make it back in time.

The children were as patient as children can be, having to sit in the minivan whilst I loaded it with boxes from the garage to take to the new place. We made four or five trips in that time until the children noticed their father’s car parked in the driveway. Had I not taken advantage of that time to move the items from the garage, the move would have lasted until later this afternoon.

Yesterday afternoon I was to leave the key to my old place with my landlord. I sent him an email letting him know I needed more time and would be able to meet him late in the afternoon. Thankfully, he let me leave the key inside the house and was to lock the patio door behind me. Were it not for that option, I am not sure how I would have managed to get everything out of the house and clean up in time.

As I looked at each room and what was left to do, I became overwhelmed and did not think it was possible for me to finish in time. I was tired and hungry but did not take the time to either sleep or eat until later today. Somehow I found the strength to move a large, heavy dining table down the stairs and into the minivan. I got into a rhythm and did not stop until all was moved. That time ended up being noon today as I drove over the plants from the patio.

The relief I felt as I closed the patio gate the last time was immense. As I unloaded the plants, the next door neighbors were outside. The lady was mowing the lawn whilst her husband was doing the edging. When she noticed me coming out of the car, she came over to introduce herself. She and her husband live next door with their teenage daughter. She mentioned her daughter was a certified babysitter if I ever needed someone to watch my children.

After the peach tree was out of the minivan, I drove into the garage and shut the door behind me. I breathed a sigh of relief and was glad the move was finally over. I was hungry by now but needed a shower first. Not having had time to clean the shower or anything in this house, I simply put perfection out of my mind and did what needed to be done. I lay down on the mattress for a moment which turned into three hours.

Shaking from both exhaustion and hunger, I got into the car and drove to Whole Foods and Trader Joes for food. Wine was also a purchase I made and something I had not enjoyed since close to two months. When I got home, I poured myself a glass of wine and made myself a simple sandwich of baguette with avocado, smoked Gouda, and arugula. The move was done. Now comes the fun part of setting up the new place.