Changing homes can be a spiritually moving experience

Each day I carry home a few more boxes rescued from the recycling bins at work. At night and on the weekends I work to fill those boxes.

I’m slowly disassembling a house. Wrapping china, sorting through books, pulling out the contents of cabinets and drawers and looking closely at the things that have been pushed to the dark corners of the basement.

This is something I know how to do very well, because I’ve done it so many times before. I can’t compare to some – military families or corporate adventurers who move every year or so – but I’ve moved a good bit. That’s just the way things have worked out for me

I’ve been in this house for seven years and that’s the longest I’ve ever lived anywhere.

When we moved in I had four young children. We needed a lot of space. Now, two of those children are adults. I’ve got more house than I want to keep. I need something smaller, something closer to work. So, we’ve decided to move.

In a way, it’s always exciting to move to new a space. Or a space that is at least new to you.

Ultimately, any house or apartment becomes what you make of it, and there are always possibilities. Budget and time constraints aside, one is limited only by imagination.

But things change. Children grow up and away, lives take interesting twists and turns, and, like the “fat” jeans or “skinny” jeans in the closet, we realize our house doesn’t fit our new size or lifestyle.

It’s time to go shopping for another place to call home.

When I latch onto something, I don’t let go easily. I stick to people, and to some things, but I’ve never found it difficult to peel away from a house and start over. The house itself isn’t the thing. Houses can be replaced. It’s the relationships sheltered within its walls that matter. That’s what you save. That’s what you hold on to for as long as you can.

This is not to say that moving isn’t sad. It can be. Moving forces you to take stock of what you have, what you want and what you need.

But there is a method to the sadness.

First you sort and prioritize. Then you pack what you can’t bear to live without. You give away what you no longer want or need. And you let go of what is used up or broken beyond repair. You move out.

Then, you move in. You open the boxes and bins and plant the seeds of another home. Another place, another chance.

You move on.

The trick isn’t finding a new place to live. What really matters is finding a way to be happy wherever you are.

Life is fluid. It’s all about moving in, moving out and moving on.

But a good life is about being at home with yourself, and at peace with your surroundings, no matter where you end up.