the up side of moving

i am getting ready to move into my 6th apartment since I moved to Boston 6 years ago. there is nothing fun about psychically carrying everything i own down the stairs, into a truck, and up the stairs again. there is nothing fun about spending hours or days getting the logistics of finding a new place and getting to that place figured out. 

what makes it slightly more tolerable, though, are the zen-like realizations that come along with moving. a home is one of the most important things to me. i want a place that i come into and feel relaxed after coming home from wherever i have been. i spend time and energy arranging and rearranging furniture, buying art for the walls, and doing everything possible to make an apartment a home. then, about once a year, i pack it all up and start over. 

it is nice not to be tied to one room, apartment, or neighborhood. it is also nice not to be tied to too many objects, because there is never time to collect too much before i need to move again. then, i have the privilege of seeing everything i own in boxes in the back of a truck. i can see everything i own and realize that it is all just stuff. most of it is stuff that makes me happy, but in the end it is just stuff. 

so while moving is a giant pain in the back, literally, it is also an incredibly cleansing experience.