Moving

The upcoming move has been booked. Several weeks of packing and weeding lie ahead. Moving has been a thread through my life. My mother used to say that I inherited her father's nomadic nature. He moved his family from apartment to apartment almost yearly though her childhood. However, in my unfortunate grandfather's case, his moves were less voluntary and more motivated by unpaid rent. 

My moves have been discretionary over the years. Economics played a part, of course. My income has never left much room for luxury, so I have lived in modest apartments or houses. I have sold property to gain a little financial security when the market bumped up. Some of my moves were motivated by unpleasant neighbors or rent increases on apartments which were substandard to begin with. Balancing what I paid for rent with my other needs has always been a trick in an expensive city.

Moving, as I have always seen it, is preferable to suffering financial ruin, unnecessary inconvenience or daily displeasure. Watching friends suffer over the years in places they have disliked just to avoid moving has always puzzled me. My mother lived in a house ill-suited to her age until she was ninety-one. It was too large for her to maintain and situated on a hill which impaired her freedom of movement as her capacity to walk or drive diminished. She became a hermit in her self-imposed prison.

Things and places are not part of my identity. I am not the house I live in, the art I hang on my walls or the car I drive. This challenges the current superficial culture of materialism. Granite counter tops are no indication of goodness or real prosperity. Stainless steel appliances do no more to support a comfortable life than old white appliances. The subway gets you from point A to point B as well as a Lexus. 

This move is special. I am going to live with my partner after nine years of living separately. Living together with a committed friend in my sixties is a great opportunity for me. It is well worth any inconvenience along the way.

As a humanist, I think that moving has stoked my ongoing curiosity about life and people. A new environment requires changes. In turn, I will bring something to my new environment. My mind will be focused. I will be paying attention. The mindless drone of old habits will be disrupted. My daily practice of maintaining health and mindfulness will be challenged. This lays open pathways to new friendships and new information about myself and others. The process of new learning is the road to understanding and compassion.