Ugh, moving is hard. There are so many moving pieces and so many competing agendas. All I want to do is spend time with friends I won’t be able to see any more and what I need to do is downsize our lives so it can fit into a shipping container.
That last piece is hard with kids. I need to Marie Kondo our whole house and even Marie Kondo says its hard once you add kids into the mix. I have found in this process that sometimes self care is doing things you don’t really want to do because once they are done you actually feel better.
We still don’t have any clear news on housing but we are continuing to keep our fingers crossed. I know that everything will fall into place, it always does. Sometimes when the stress gets high I lose sight of this. I find that evenings can be tough, so sometimes it’s clear that retiring to our own rooms is best, so we can restart in the morning.
As I prepare for this move, like with all the others, I find the hardest thing is leaving the people and connections I have made. I know this is the same for my kids. We have been talking this week about what we can do how we leave well. It is a very important part of the moving pieces I am managing.
Today I spend the day meeting movers as part of the pack out process. As I walked around the house and detailed for the movers what we were taking I was reminded of when I packed my mom out of her house to downsize to something smaller.
When I was small my mother spent hours (I mean HOURS) needle pointing. She would come to my soccer games and my brothers baseball games and needle point. She really enjoyed it and one project was needle pointing all the chair cushions for our dining room set. When we were downsizing her house, that table and chairs was one of the hardest things for me to let go mostly because of all the time my mom put into the needle pointing those seat cushions.
Today as I was getting ready to pack up my house I was reflecting on how important it is to really enjoy the way you spend your time. My mom modeled great lessons for me by the way she lived her life. One of the biggest things I have learned over the years about parenting is no matter how we parent (stay at home or working etc) the thing that matters most is how we feel about whatever we are doing. Feeling good about the way we live is one powerful lesson!
When I found a new home for that dining set, I felt terrible that I had to give it away. Yet the memories of the joy my mom had in doing something she loved will be something I will cherish forever.
We are t minus three week to moving day. I’m accepting any and all positive energy and prayers sent my way.
Lastly if you have expat friends who you think would be interested in the information I share you can share this link. I have a small goal for myself and I’m almost there so if you could share this newsletter with other expat friends , I would appreciate your support.
Sending love,
Mirsada
Pssttt….if you are moving this year, I see you. I know all about the moving pieces that sometimes include being short tempered with kids. You are an amazing parent and all these challenges are actually opportunities for you and your kids. You are teaching them important lessons every day! You are awesome!
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