My friend is moving. She's trying to allocate her life to boxes and relocate it to a more suitable geographic location. Unfortunately, her life does not seem to want to fit into her small geometrical containers and seems to be fighting her at every turn, like a cat being placed into a bath. Complicating matters further, she is not convinced that her destination is more suitable, and she is instead being dragged kicking a screaming to the new location.
Our lives begin simply enough - we start out with a room (those of us that have families that can afford us such a degree of space). Our entire lives are contained in that room. However, over time, our room expands, and grows into an apartment, a condo, or a house. Suddenly our lives sprawl about multiple rooms, and we are left wondering both how we got to have so much space and why there isn't enough space for everything.
Unfortunately for my friend, our lives and the things that we accumulate are never quite confined to the room we begin with or its many descendants, as we are more than a collection of items. We are a collection of thoughts, memories, friendships, interactions, and hundreds of other intangibles that cannot and will not be boxed and transplanted like a common potted plant.
We separate from that which we know for that which is unknown, and rarely is the unknown any less scary than where we are. We leave behind the bonds and friendships that we have spent so much time forming, and which we fear we may never experience again. We fear what the future holds and if we will be equipped to handle it, and sometimes more than anything, we sit annoyed at the concept of having to rebuild and begin again, almost with nothing to show for it but all the stuff that's being packed away in boxes. The memories will travel with her, some of the friends will remain in-touch, with emails and phone calls, but the shared experiences and face-to-face interactions will be lacking, and will be missed on all sides.
It reminds me of my best friend in law school who decided that she was going off to study tax law, and as I wished her luck, she stared at me and said, "Oh no you don't; you're coming with me."
Our lives begin simply enough - we start out with a room (those of us that have families that can afford us such a degree of space). Our entire lives are contained in that room. However, over time, our room expands, and grows into an apartment, a condo, or a house. Suddenly our lives sprawl about multiple rooms, and we are left wondering both how we got to have so much space and why there isn't enough space for everything.
Unfortunately for my friend, our lives and the things that we accumulate are never quite confined to the room we begin with or its many descendants, as we are more than a collection of items. We are a collection of thoughts, memories, friendships, interactions, and hundreds of other intangibles that cannot and will not be boxed and transplanted like a common potted plant.
We separate from that which we know for that which is unknown, and rarely is the unknown any less scary than where we are. We leave behind the bonds and friendships that we have spent so much time forming, and which we fear we may never experience again. We fear what the future holds and if we will be equipped to handle it, and sometimes more than anything, we sit annoyed at the concept of having to rebuild and begin again, almost with nothing to show for it but all the stuff that's being packed away in boxes. The memories will travel with her, some of the friends will remain in-touch, with emails and phone calls, but the shared experiences and face-to-face interactions will be lacking, and will be missed on all sides.
It reminds me of my best friend in law school who decided that she was going off to study tax law, and as I wished her luck, she stared at me and said, "Oh no you don't; you're coming with me."
Tell me about it. I have tried every possible way to fit my damn lamps in my truck, but unless I take out my towels and toaster oven, it is a no-go. Hopeless, completely hopeless.
ReplyDeleteBut really, that isn't what you're talking about is it?
Moving somewhere you don't want to move...well, it sucks. That's about as deep as I'm getting.
ReplyDeletemoving in general sucks
ReplyDeleteIt is always a good time to do some "spring cleaning" and clearing out old things not wanted.
But damn it sucks. I have way too much crap - moving is like the impossible task.
:)
That last line was cute.
ReplyDeleteI hate moving. I moved so much when I was younger. I still have boxes that I haven't unpacked from when I moved in my house 10 years ago. Which means I PROBABLY should throw them out, but eh, I'm lazy.
ReplyDelete