There are moments in our days where Charlie and I turn to each other with mutual awe - shocked that we are actually here and that we've pulled this off. While we are starting to shift to a place where we can revel in actually being he, each day is a small journey of its own -- filled with task lists and mental to-dos still to complete. Which means there are countless moments where I'll find myself overwhelmed, wishing and praying the words of one of my favorite songs "please, Lord, take me to the end so I can see the start."
One of the main ways I've been coping in these moments is to take a deep breath and think about the wisdom behind this lovely image that I saw a few months ago.
The most pragmatic coping mechanism I've accessed lately is to remember that, in spite of my desperation to map out and move through all of the steps as quickly as possible, the only way to make this work is to focus on the step in front of me. That's what's made it manageable. (That, plus having the most patient, affable, steady of partners in this whole big adventure.)
Grateful for the lessons I am learning from this move about accomplishing seemingly insurmountable things by taking one step at a time. Just wanted to capture the value of living in and continuously relearning that lesson here.
Lastly, a (simplified, illustrative) move list to pull out of my scatterbrained mind to highlight the wild, but sometimes unsexy and logistically loaded, ride that the relocation has been:
*Pretty sure the full list would be 100+ actions long with endless sub-points, decision tree maps, etc. We definitely used some Trello boards/project-managed the heck out of aspects of the transition to get through
Navigate all the choices for what to do with your home in DC - sell? rent? (short v. long term?)
Visa application - paperwork, appointments, passport renewals, etc etc etc
Decide what to do with all your stuff - sort, pare back, pack up, sell the minivan, etc
Survive the 20ish hour long trip - try not to swear audibly when trekking between terminals at LAX, and also not to lose sight of one of the kids in the crowd
Get all the short term stuff squared away (car rental, stay) - prepare to live out of suitcases for days and be infuriated by your inability to remember which bag you packed your underwear in
Buy a car - be okay with it being very green because it's a great model and fits all your boxes, and when living overseas in a verdant country -- why not?
Find a long term rental place - exhale a sigh of relief to find a *semi*-affordable that doesn't have hidden mold patches or paper-thin window panes xx
--> You are here <--
8. Get the boys enrolled in school
9. Buy ALL the stuff to furnish a place - used? what is essential// what can wait?
10. Find a Kindercare provider for Andrea
--> You consistently WANT to jump to here, but need to clear the other steps first, so you remind yourself to inhala, exhala, repeat <--
11. Settle in, make friends, explore, etc
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