Here We Go Again

I’m in the middle of my 17th move in 20 years.  And I am not including 3 weeks in this or that hotel, moving back in with my parents from time to time, or spending six weeks with my in-laws between houses.  Adding those in too makes my head hurt.   And regardless, the data supports the same conclusion:

I am a survivor of constant change.

I’ve left behind more friends, more favorite restaurants, more beautiful views or deeply cared for plants or water pressure that was just right than I care to think about.  In exchange I have acquired the ability to set up utilities in the blink of an eye,  the talent for knowing precisely how much will fit in each suitcase we own, and a proclivity for determining exactly what each child truly needs on the road to make them happy.

This is the life of a military spouse.

But more than half of those moves came before the man I love stepped into my life.  So obviously I have gypsy in my blood. I am manifesting new adventures and new opportunities.  Yet, knowing that does not lessen the fact that moving is a challenge.  Change is a challenge.  Diving into the unknown is absolutely, positively, I-will-not-lie-to-you challenging.  So how do I keep pushing forward?

Trust.

Yep, trust.  I trust that I am always exactly where I am supposed to be at any given moment of any given day.  Yet life is not happening to me; I am a co-creator.  I make choices, both large and small, that affect my life’s outcome.  Then I trust that all will work out as it should.  And I let go and enjoy the ride.

And, here is some cold, hard truth for you: 

we live in a world where constant change is a reality

and only those who learn to set an intention for what they want and then trust that all will be well will find true joy in the journey.  Is it easy?  It can be once you have learned how to do it.

So I am committing to sharing this newest journey with you in hopes that my experience will help you with your own.  This week the move from Virginia to California began.  I have packed all our stuff (as I type it is on two separate trucks on its way to storage in California — that’s another story).  I just drove cross country, partly with my dad (good story there too), to get our second car out west.   My husband and I are flying back to VA to get our two daughters (3 and 6) and we will all live in a temporary fully-furnished apartment in the middle of the high desert for a month (doesn’t everyone summer in the desert?)  Then the girls and I head to Memphis to be with my family for the month of July (I’m attempting to determine if one really can go home again).  And finally I’ll head back to a town just north of San Diego to move into a new home (hopefully with all our own furniture in one piece) without my husband who will be deploying to Afghanistan this fall for more than half the year.

Lots of change.  Lots of unknowns.  Lots of balls in the air.  And I am sure there will be days I am hard-pressed on the trust factor.  But I promise to be candid and forthcoming as I practice the skills I’ve learned for dealing with change one moment at a time.

Namaste