Moving...

When I was going to school in Corner Brook I moved at least twice a year, once to school and once home from school. Home was a different place each summer which complicated the process even further but whether it was a short jaunt or a long haul my disdain for the whole process never wavered one iota. Some I have spoken to said that moving frequently has moulded them into experts in the exercise; they can pack all their belongings into a few suitcases and can get out of one dwelling into another in less time than it would take most to find a truck. This acquired expertise has softened their hatred for moving. Not the case with me. The frequency of my moves have only served to add layers to my loathing so that a core sample displays years of toil and torment surrounding the whole process.

I must clarify that I do not hate moving with regards to the end result. I love the idea of a fresh start in a new place and the feeling you get when that new house/apartment/dorm room is set up just the way you want it and you say to yourself, "Yeah, this feels like home." In fact, this is something everyone must experience. It has a way of rebooting your mind and body, it motivates you to change what isn't working in your life and gives you a fresh canvas to turn into a dwelling that is truly yours. Perhaps it is fitting that in order to taste this fruit of victory you have to spend days and sometimes weeks pulling out your back and every other muscle on your skeleton associated with lifting as a sort a penance; a cross to bear, so to speak.

"What has sparked this rant about moving?" you ask.

I am in the process of moving the last odds and ends from one apartment to another. The new apartment is significantly smaller than the old and, what's more, the new apartment now has the combined bulk of two dwellings worth of belongings. I have some tips for anyone who is currently in the process of moving or plans to do so in the near future:

• When combining two apartments into one some serious widdling down of extraneous possessions must take place. This is a time when you can do your soul some good and give the extra everythings to the Salvation Army, Goodwill, local shelter or what have you. Let's face it, you don't need two waffle makers or toasters nor do you need those birthday cards from your first girlfriend/boyfriend that you received in grade six. Streamlining is the name of the game which brings me to my next tip...
• Do not be afraid of throwing things out (ie those birthday cards). If it can be recycled, fine, recycle away but you surely do not need to keep these things. Sure, they hold some sentimental attachment but when you weigh them against all the other sentimental things you own some emerge as more important than others. The hold that nostalgia can have on some belongings is not lost on me but, again, streamlining is what you want to achieve. Birthday cards from a pre-pubescent courtship are trumped by birthday cards from your pre-pubescent siblings for instance. Also if you haven't seen it in years, it can probably go (ie those one-piece jumpsuits that were popular circa 1993...why would you keep those things). This is also a cathartic exercise, trust me.
• Packing is key. This is a tip I have learned from the professional movers in my circle of friends. If you are like me and think that you can just fire it all into the back of a truck without organizing things into boxes, you are wrong. It can be done, mind you, but it will end up costing you more time and torment in the process. What will inevitably happen is that you will have all the big things moved and be left with an endless collection of odds and ends that are a serious pain in the ass to keep track of in the transportation process. This is how the truly valuable trinkets get lost or broken never to be enjoyed again, plus it is much faster to move a few boxes full of trinkets than hundreds of individual ones, obviously.
• Make sure you have a reliable vehicle to transport your things and if it is winter make sure it has snow tires. If not you will have a vehicle full of stuff stuck in a snowbank before you even leave the driveway and have to push it out putting added stress on your already dilapidated back and joints. Take it from me, not fun...I hurt today.

Hopefully these tips will help you get through the annoying process of moving as quickly as possible with minimal cursing a swearing allowing you to enjoy the, "Ahh this feels like home!" moment sooner.

If it still drives you nuts, I have some friends who are really good at moving...