Moving On…

Knowing the Time is Near

It was nearly 18 months ago that I caught myself mentally packing up my belongings from the home that was our safe haven during one of the toughest, most challenging, and yet equally blessed and magical seasons of my life.  When I came to realize that I had been unconsciously envisioning myself packing everything up and assessing what I would keep versus give away, it took me a bit by surprise.  I had come to love this community that enveloped me and my girls with warmth and compassion and invited us in as if we had always belonged here.  In many ways, I never wanted to leave, and I may not ever completely leave.  A piece of my heart will always feel at home here, just as it started identifying this place as home many years before I ever imagined it actually would be my home.  But the vision made me realize a truth inside myself that I had been reluctant to admit, the time to move on was nearing and I better get used to the idea whether I liked it or not.

At the time, my partner was here and my girls were going to the local public school and enjoying it, even though I felt deep in my core that it wasn’t where they belonged.  I couldn’t see how we would be able to move away without completely severing all the ties that had grounded us during the most difficult transition season of our lives.  So, I waited and I allowed myself to open to the possibility.  I didn’t start packing, but I did finish the unpacking and decluttering process that had started nearly two and a half years prior when we landed here unexpectedly and Covid and major life shifts planted us here for the foreseeable future.  I also decided to quit purchasing anything that wasn’t deemed necessary for everyday life.  I didn’t want to accumulate more things that I would just have to pack up down the road.  I’m seasoned enough to know that there will always be a plethora of junk, and no longer-needed treasures to sort through between then and whenever the actual time for packing was determined.

The Packing Process

The time for packing is now.  Today I sit on the floor amidst a pile of pictures that I’m sorting through while looking at a box of clothes that I just filled, although you couldn’t tell that by looking at my closet which still has way more clothes than I need or could ever pack into one bag for this trip.  We’re moving, but we don’t know where yet, so for the time being we’re embracing the car camping and couch surfing lifestyle.  I’ve been here before.  Back in 2018, we began the process of selling off, packing up, and decluttering 12 years’ worth of accumulated stuff when we decided to sell our home, buy a 5th wheel camper, and travel around the country with three kids.  This time it’s a little different because there is no camper.  I have two tweens, a dog, a tent, and an adventurous spirit.  So how am I going to do this???

Fortunately, the home I’m in currently was mostly furnished when we moved in and I intentionally didn’t add much furniture beyond a few cube organizers and an electric standing desk that I’m debating whether to sell or keep…because I REALLY LIKE IT!  But still, we have craft items, miscellaneous kitchen equipment, business files, and homeschool supplies to sort through, not to mention everyone’s personal belongings.  I’m still feeling apprehensive about how I’m going to manage my fledgling business while living semi-nomadically.  Nevertheless, I know deep within my soul that this is the right next move for us AND even now as I begin the process of carefully uprooting our life here, I can feel my creativity begin to come back online and bloom once again.  I had settled here, and it is time to shake things up again and let my dreams know that they matter too and I am capable of chasing them into an unknown future.

So how does one pack for the unknown?  

How do you decide what stays, what goes, what gets thrifted, and what gets tossed in the garbage?  

My process is to first begin by envisioning how I would like this trip to unfold.  Do I want to be fully prepared to camp throughout the trip?  What will I do if there is no ‘couch’ available to surf?  What do we need for daily living?  What do we need to be creative, inquisitive, and smart while traveling?  What will we need accessible during long drives?  What will we want for comfort and a sense of stability on the journey ahead?  What will we need if it’s raining and muddy?  What if it’s hot and sunny?  What if it’s cold?  Most importantly, what will I need in order to continue producing content, connecting with prospective clients and serving current clients well?

Once I thought through all of the above scenarios, I next took some of our storage boxes, dog crate, cooler, and empty suitcases to the car to assess what we could fit.  (Let’s just say that during this phase, I was SO glad that I went with my gut and bought a GMC Yukon vs. the Lexus RX I had been shopping for initially!!  Having the right tool for the job is important!)  Now that I have a better understanding of the space available, I can “start packing the car.”  Essentially, I’m going to put all our suitcases and the cargo boxes we’ll be utilizing in our living room and spare bedroom.  Together we’re going to pack all the things that we need into them and then live out of those boxes for the next couple of weeks.  I’m using our all season camping packing lists as my baseline, but also adding in work and homeschool equipment/supplies.

Meanwhile, in order to pack the items that we’ll be putting into storage, I’ve set up a Pomodoro timer on my phone and everyday I work for 45 minutes and then jump up, grab a box and start sorting/purging/packing one corner of a room at a time, until it is empty.  I’m mostly using plastic crates, because they are easier to move than big bulky boxes.  I label each side and the top of every crate with a general description of the contents and the room they belong in.  I have a spreadsheet with each room and box number listed next to a general description the contents…haha…I wish I were actually that organized with my own things, but alas, I am not.  For my book collection, I have purchased some heavy duty cardboard boxes from the hardware store.  Other than my photos and photo albums, my books are my most prized possessions.  Each one holds a memory and many of them are linked to pivotal moments in my life, so I want to treat them well..

That pretty much sums up my packing process.  This isn’t a perfect process, but it’s what’s worked for me.  One day, I’ll have a ‘forever home’ with beautiful mahogany bookcases flanking a cozy stone fireplace in a room with mahogany panels up to the chair railing and a wrap-around historical timeline pasted up around the room on top of navy blue painted walls with comfy leather furniture where I’ll sit reading my books that I have collected all these years, but for now, it’s time to pack them away safely so that I can move on and embark upon yet another adventure and begin to write down the stories that have been inspired along this long road home back to my heart, back to my dreams, back to my truest essence.  

If you’re facing a time of major transition in your life, a gap season may be the best way to reset, remember, and rebuild. and would like someone to support you through the process of intentionally redesigning your life to reflect the great adventure that it was always meant to be, I currently offer three types of 1:1 support. We can jump on traditional phone calls together, video calls, or we can engage in a back-and-forth video chat conversation via the Marco Polo app, which I believe is the most adventurous and flexible option, specially designed for those of us with lots on our plate! The goal with each option is for us to meet for 7 consecutive weeks wherein I will support you as you remember who you are, reset, and then begin the process of intentionally rebuilding your life all while following my 3 step Dream Big, Plan for Adventure, and Enjoy the Ride framework so that you can once again embrace your