Meditations on Moving...

Meditations on Moving…

It’s the 4th time in 8 years now that we’ve had packers come into our lives for a bit, put all our stuff in boxes, and take it away. This latest bunch was fast, and got us done in one day. I’m a little concerned about how well some things were packed, but in the end, it’s just stuff, and sometimes I think we’d be better off if it all fell into the ocean.

It’s too easy for me to become attached to this stuff, though I struggle not to. I tried to get rid of even more of it ahead of time, taking books to charity shops and so on, but then emotions would overwhelm me and I couldn’t bring myself to take any more. I’d stare at my fairly extensive travel guides, most of which will be out of date by the time I visit those places again, and I just couldn’t part with them. Vienna, Venice, Prague, the Loire Valley – just couldn’t let them go.

And then there’s all the stuff you buy when you visit these places. But in the end, it’s the memories, the wonder that I felt when I saw St. Peter’s, attended a performance of Don Giovanni in the same theater in which it premiered (in Prague), or viewed the Hermitage from St. Petersburg’s canals. It’s that sense of wonder and excitement that I don’t want to lose. Seeing the stuff helps bring it back, and some items always make me smile.

But sometimes they make me sad, too, in a way difficult to explain. Perhaps I’ll never get to these beautiful places again. If I do, the experiences won’t be the same. There’s something so special about the first time you encounter something like the Roman Colosseum. It has such an impact.

I try instead to just focus on what’s ahead. The stuff is packed and in its shipping containers and somewhere far away. We won’t see it again for months, and will welcome it like old friends. In the meanwhile, a new adventure begins!