East Coast Adventure Week 1: Boxes and December Rain
We did it! In a whirlwind of events, we packed up, sold a house, and moved us and our stuff to Maryland. Because everything happened so quickly, I didn't have time to think about what this really meant until the night before we left. Then I cried....quite a bit of tears...followed by a week of "this is okay", "this is actually good", then another meltdown.
I wonder how many times a person can think or say "I just want to go 'home'" this first few weeks living in a new city over 1500 miles away. To be completely honest, I have moments where I think:
"It's okay if it's raining all week making my favorite time, Christmas season, gloomy and sad because....this is temporary, we'll be home soon".
"It's okay if this church isn't really what we want...this is temporary, we'll be home soon."
"It's okay if I don't get right on looking for preschools, doctors, and things to do...this is temporary, we'll be home soon."
"It's okay that I don't get the "homey" feel from this city (yet)...this is temporary, we'll be home soon."
"It's okay that the sun doesn't feel as warm as Colorado sun....this is temporary, we'll be 'HOME' soon."
Then the reality hits that this is not temporary, we are not "visiting", and we are not going to "be home soon" because this IS HOME now. Although that reality briefly throws me into a panic depressed spiral, I do still think this is a positive change, and we WILL feel at home eventually.
Just an adjustment...
“Life isn't about waiting for the storm to pass...It's about learning to dance in the rain.” -Vivian Greene
It's hard to say that a very positive life change is a "storm", yet most life changes, even when good, tend to bring about a hurricane of emotions. It's an adjustment. Blame it on the INFJ thing, the knowledge I gained recently that I become an extension of my environment, or the simple fact that moving across the country is just overwhelming and tough at times, but this has been more of an adjustment than I had first anticipated.
But, thankfully, we've made it through our first week...
Week 1:
I absolutely love snow. I was worried about leaving a place with nice snowstorms to a place with a shorter winter, so I was relieved with the weather when we got to the East Coast just in time for a nice blanket of big fluffy snow.
The snow melted quickly, yet the weather remained beautiful and sunny when we moved into our rental on Monday morning. My overwhelming thought: This is good.
Oh how quickly the weather can change my outlook on a new life phase...
The beautiful snow and nice sun gave me that wonderful peace and calm and a readiness for adventure. Then, by Monday night and throughout the week, the clouds, rain, and gloom came in to take it away, stomping all over it leaving muddy footprints in it's path.
I do (well used to) love the rain. I remember one spring/summer it seemed to rain everywhere we went (concerts, hikes, Taste of Colorado festival). It didn't ruin the event and actually made it even more fun. Plus, when I was mentioning the rain at that time to my pastor, he told me that rain is God's blessing and an overall reminder of His blessings in my life. Looking back, I can see that it really did rain (or snow) at most of my big positive milestones, including our wedding. Even in that perspective, it was still very hard to put this first rainy week of our transition in that light.
The rain and gloom made it hard to see the city we were hoping to fall in love with. It was not very good timing being dreary and sad the whole first week were were in a new place. It even brought my normally overly optimistic husband "down" a bit. I am still amazed at the impact the gloomy, rainy weather had on us. Apparently, we were just so used to the "usually sunny" weather.
And, here is where I had/have a choice to make. I can either hate it, stay inside the townhome, be miserable...or I can focus on what I truly believe: that this is an awesome opportunity for new adventure, more perspective, and growth. I can "learn to dance in the rain." Take hold of my bravery and keep moving to make my new town "home".
And that is what I did. I didn't let the gloom keep me down. I finished the unpacking and organizing and set up our "home" in only 2 days, in time for my husband to come home from work and the boys to come back from staying at Grandma's to a completed "home"! It does feel like home complete with Christmas decorations and lights: This is good.
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| Boxes the morning after things were moved in |
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| The finished house as it looked the night after our things were moved in. |
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| Yes, I'm cheesy, but I had it all ready for my husband and boys to be home |
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| Christmas lights and ALL |
We didn't let the rain keep us inside. We went out as much as we could still: This is good (still).
We visited a mom's group, went to a pretty spectacular grocery store (Wegmans), ran alone and with the family, exploring our area, went to a small town Christmas tree lighting in the rain, and fell into a more "normal" routine: This is good.
And we did it all, this first week, TOGETHER. Once again, in the first week of December rain, I'm reminded that although the transition is a tough adjustment, "home" truly is wherever we all are together.
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| Huge mirror wall in our townhome....oh the nature of rentals..... |
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| These two make home WHEREVER I am with them. |
And YES, the sun did come out.....yesterday at least....
Sure, we didn't get the first week experience quite like we had hoped. The gloomy, rainy weather and my own hurricane of emotions definitely filled my head with doubts and made for an overall rough week, but I'm reminded that even GOOD, POSITIVE, and RIGHT things can be super emotional and tough at first. It's all an adjustment, and I am still very strong and ready to take it on, to "learn to dance in the rain", to navigate these new adventures the best I know how.
Besides what fun is it if everything goes perfectly and just as planned? Where is the adventure in that?
"Always remember, it’s simply not an adventure worth telling if there aren’t any dragons."
-Sarah Ban Breathnach out of Simple Abundance.
(The full paragraph of this quote: "Today, if you feel frightened or unsure about the future, pick up the double-edged sword of Light and Love. Always remember, it’s simply not an adventure worth telling if there aren’t any dragons. But as in the best old tales, at the end of our exploring, you will live happily ever after.")
