THE P WORD – PACKING
Well Ladies, 1000 apologies for being absent of late. I have been moving. This is a tumultuous, stomach turning, stressful event in anyone’s life. It took four full days and there was nothing left at the end of each day that you would want to know about. It is not the physical work that was the most difficult. It is the emotional journey you have to travel with each and every item you put in bubble wrap.
We have moved 5 times in the past three years because of circumstances following a divorce. Each time it has become easier in one way – a lot of our memories are already boxed so I don’t have to revisit them again. But there are so many more and that is the problem. Children’s paintings, books, schoolwork, mementos, clothes, jewellery and crockery from grandparents, that I have carted from place to place, put out and never touched but unable to throw away.
I am doing work for an over 50’s resort and the people I speak with say the same thing – it’s the emotional toll moving takes on us all that is the difficult part. Downsizing and moving means furniture can’t follow, knick knacks must be passed on, and hard decisions have to be made. One lady told me you give the relevant memorabilia back to the children and then it’s theirs to file away – this seems like a good plan – and they can show their children – passing the buck nicely.
The cost of moving is incredible – the boxes, the tape, the bond, the next few weeks rent, the movers, the bond cleaners, the carpet cleaners, the different things you need in a new place – like fans as our new house is ‘fanless’ and I swear it’s still Summer, the first grocery bill after arriving, replacing things you can’t find and wine to get you through the process.
We have moved into a rental for another 12 months – and hope after that to build somewhere we can settle, relax and call home. Maybe my son can have a dog again finally, or even a spot for the Ute he wants to buy one day to put his dog in and travel around Australia instead of going to schoolies. Maybe if my other son ever gets his P’s he will have a place to park his car And maybe then we can all enjoy a little privacy as there are only ‘adults’ living here now –the children have grown up and all our worlds are different to when we left the family home. My eldest is working his gap year and my youngest is still in grade 11 but …..they are now men.
Ah, but in the meantime -12 blissful months to recover from this move!
