SURVIVING A MOVE TO A NEW HOME — Words IN Verse

MAKING THE MOVE

Last week we made the move into our new home. Initially, I had an emotional reaction to moving for several reasons.
One; it’s such a grown-up thing to do to move into a new home, whether you are renting or buying. It still gives you the same feeling of standing on your own two feet, albeit a little unbalanced. I was also feeling emotional because the home we left behind was the last placed I lived in with my mother before she died. I have always lived with my mom. It was a no-brainer for me when we moved around because she took care of the logistics. I just had to pack my stuff.
This time it was different. We had to find a place, make decisions on how much we were willing to pay for rent, decide if we wanted to buy now, or wait.

In all honesty, this whole transition was like a bullet train whizzing past me and knocking me off my feet and flat on my face. The previous owner of the apartment we were living in decided to sell it because they could no longer afford the mortgage and they are also retiring. When I was told that the flat was being sold, I became sad. I did try to apply for a home loan but unfortunately, it was out of my budget. I have to admit, I cried a lot during this period. Not only because I couldn’t afford it but also because I truly loved that place. It fit our little family perfectly but it wasn’t meant to be. Looking back now, I’m happy about that. We also considered staying in the flat with the permission of the new owner but we decided against it.

We soon realised we needed a new start. A clean slate.

Still, it was a lot for me to take in, my mother’s physical presence in my life made me brave and without her around, I felt like a baby learning to walk. Only this time, my mother isn’t around to hold my hand as I take my first steps.

We did take the first place we saw reason being it was exactly what we wanted. It just spoke to us and made us feel comfortable so we jumped on it before anyone else could and good thing we did because there were other people who were interested in renting it.

Not only was the move emotional but it was also tiring. Packing up things, sorting through things, unpacking boxes. Making multiple trips to our new place because we didn’t want to hire a truck.

It took us a whole week to move all our things from the old place to the new place. My calves and ankles felt like boulders after the all the up and down movements on the stairs ( My body is still sore). We did experience emotionally tense moments of frustration and there were some tears but Jared and I got through it by unpacking every situation and realising that we were just tired.

HICCUPS

There were many things that we struggled with over the course of this move. Not only were we really tired and frustrated throughout, but we were emotionally and mentally tested as well.

1. We couldn’t get into our new place the day we wanted to move in, there was some misunderstanding or lack of communication. So that just frustrated us because we wanted to spend some time as a family in the flat and just take it all in.
2. Jared almost didn’t have any help with the heavy lifting. Luckily a close friend stepped in and my brother also showed up and borrowed us his pick-up truck.
3. The security was rude to Jared when he got there and we expected that to be the norm but it turns out it’s not.
4. Entry into our new place was also a nightmare to begin with because of access codes and biometrics but we also soon got that sorted. However, the difficulty and the time it took to getting it done, just frustrated us more.

This move was anything but smooth sailing.

THINGS I LEARNED THROUGH THIS MOVE

One thing I do love about moving is sorting through things. The reason I say this is because you have no choice but to check every bag and box that you have packed up. It allows you to spring clean your life. You realise how many unnecessary things you have and you are able to donate clothes and other items that you no longer use or need.

But if you are planning on moving anytime soon, allow me to share some things I learned from my own experience.

1. I highly suggest you hire a moving truck, in simple English, it’s just easier.
2. When you’re buying furniture or you receive furniture from someone, make sure that you really like it and not just taking it because it’s nice. It’ so much work (unnecessary work I might add ) to get rid of furniture that you don’t like when you’re moving into a new place.
3. Take your time unpacking, even if it takes a few days. Rushing and trying to do everything all at once is just madness.
4. Treat yourself to something nice after you get settled in your new home. Go get a massage or go on a date with your significant other or buy something nice for the kids. Moving is hard, on everyone and in every way.
5. Label your boxes. I didn’t label mine so I was just unpacking random boxes and going from one room to the next. It’s too unorganised when you don’t have labels.
6. Don’t overthink it when you’re choosing a place. Make a list of all the pros and cons of each place that you are considering and go with the one that has the most favourable results. Also consider your commute to work, the schools and the shopping centres. It helps when everything is within close proximity. Especially if like me, you like convenience.
7. Don’t be afraid to let go of things and sometimes even people. There are certain things and people who are only meant to be in your life for a specific season. Once you realise the potential of letting go and making space for new experiences, it won’t be so hard.
8. If possible, try and deal with the owner of the new place directly (If you are renting) It made me more at ease when I met the owner of the property and he took us through the flat himself. Real estate agents can make an ugly picture look very pretty and then you end up with a place that you didn’t really want.
9. Get someone to help you clean up. You only realise how dirty a place is once it’s empty and let me tell you, the cleaning process is not fun and is just as much work as the packing and unpacking.
10. Be prepared to become dirty and dusty and don’t expect to brush your hair for a week…..wait, sorry. That’s just me.

NEW BEGINNINGS

Something I am looking forward to is the decorating of our new home. I have many little things I want to change and add and make it our own. As much as I loved our previous home, it was my mother’s style and furniture. I think this move gives Jared and me a chance to put our personal touch on our home.

There are still boxes and bags that need to be unpacked, rooms that need to be organised and new memories to be made. We love our new home and even though the transition was practically nightmarish, I really hope that when you find yourself in this position of change and readjustment, you are able to sit back and enjoy the view as well.

This is fresh start for us; after this year and everything we’ve been through, we need it. I trust we’re going to find renewed hope in our new home.

Originally published at http://wordsinverse.com on November 11, 2020.