Jon and B greeting our movers with coffee (no shame in schmoozing them to take good care of our stuff, ha!) Jon keeps encouraging me to write a blog about moving. Moving tips, what we wished we did, how to manage the transition, what it's like to move cross country, something along those lines. But see, I'm not a moving guru. Ask a military wife, not me!! But after thinking a little bit about it, I did come up with some tips/thoughts on moving based on our experiences.
1.
Moving is hard whether your moving 2 hours away or 27. When we moved from Grand Rapids to Lansing in 2004, we were totally unprepared for how HARD it was going to be. It was only one hour away, but life was totally different. The hardest part was how unprepared we were to start our life without any friends nearby. We didn't think it'd be a big deal, but it was. Short or long distance, moving is hard.
2.
Give yourself time. Prepare your self mentally, spiritually, and emotionally to go through a time of loneliness. Even if you meet friends right away, it takes time to build a relationship and to truly get to know one another deep down.
3.
If it sucks (we speak from experience here), don't turn around and run back. Again, give it some time. Maybe things wont turn around and you'll move again soon. But maybe they will. And just maybe, God needs to soften up your heart a little bit so He can use you more in this new season of life.
4.
Jump in with both feet. We didn't do everything the right way when we moved to Houston last year. But the one thing I think we did pretty well was engaging ourselves in activities and people. I joined MOPS and a women's bible study the second week we were here. We later joined a small group which has been a life saver to us. I also started volunteering in the baby nursery at The Met. We met our neighbors, explored the city and volunteered. Don't hesitate to start your new life where you are. I still find myself trying to push the thoughts of "we aren't going to be here forever and I don't want to get invested" away.
5.
Don't live in the past. Do your best to not idealize the past but to live for today.
6.
Put your stake in the ground. I'm not sure if this one is going to make sense. But this is where we went awry. Once you (and your spouse if applicable) have made the decision to move, mark that down in your hearts and when you face times of doubt, remember that moment in time when you made that decision. Be at peace knowing you made it with clear minds and full hearts (Friday Night Lights, anyone??). If things truly are horrible, then humble yourselves and perhaps you need to move again or make new decisions or whatever. But make sure there is a point when both of you 100% agree to the move and take full responsibility in the decision. If one of you is still wavering a bit, don't (I repeat, don't) make the decision yet. The job, house, school, etc. will still be there if it's the right one once you are both on the same page 100%.
7.
Buy a GPS. Seriously, life saver.
Ok, that's all I got. I thought I could make it all the way to 10 but apparently not. Maybe one of you dear, faithful readers are facing a move and maybe this will help?
Enjoy!!