Sunday, September 15, 2013

Getting there is half the fun, come share it with me


"I live in Boston." I said this to myself yesterday. I do that, now and again, to try to make it feel real. When I say it, I feel like I'm play-acting or making something up, like a high school kid trying to impress someone. "I have a boyfriend! You wouldn't know him; he lives in Canada." But it is true, I do live in Boston now.

Have you moved? Most of us have moved from one house to another, but have you left the easy comfort of one place to start over in an entirely new location? The adjustment is somewhat overwhelming. It took me a couple of weeks to be able to drive to work without a map or the GPS handy. Finding a new grocery store, another bank, where to get a haircut, there are a thousand little details. "I live in Boston," this is true. But I am still wondering where a good coffeehouse might be.

Moving gets harder and more drawn out as you get older and have more things and details. When you make the decision, you aren't aware of all the moving parts that need to be in place for the move to be complete. For us, these are still on-going but every day, another piece falls into place. It feels like forever, but, I hope that like my last move, these annoyances will one day be mostly forgotten. HWM is helping so very much, and I am so incredibly thankful for that. I could never do all of this alone. But the details of moving isn't what this is about.

I long for the day when I don't have to plan my trips in the car. Some day I will have my favorite spots, my places that I love to visit, maybe even a tradition or two. I will be able to recommend a good place to eat or a museum that someone simply needs to visit. I will say, "We live in Boston" just as easily as I say that I am from Toledo.

Today I went grocery shopping, but it felt different. Today I bought actual supplies, instead of enough to get through the next week or so. I smiled to myself when I realized this, but I needed to get all these things. After all, I live here now.