The Art of Moving

An article in our newspaper recently reported that the average person will move 11 times in his or her lifetime. Some of us have done better (or worse?) than that; others have stayed put for generations. Imagine. Living in the same house, same neighborhood for decades. How rewarding yet how boring. To each his own we say.

Moving can be a delightful occasion. Not the actual work involved but the destination. It could be just down the street, or into the next town or clear cross the country. It could be from a chilly Northern clime to a warm atmosphere, from the inner city to the country, from downtown to the suburbs. If the move is voluntary, the climax of a dream, the ordeal can be worth it. If it is forced, unanticipated or unwanted, moving can be traumatic.

We move also for the craziest reasons. We move to avoid a nasty neighbor who moved into what was once a delightful neighborhood. We move because we thought we'd never miss our friends and after a couple of years we move back only to find that things have changed. Sometimes unbelievably so. We move to get into a better climate but find it too hot, too wet, too high (couldn't stand the altitude). Or it was too inhospitable (unfriendly or nosy neighbors) or too expensive.

We move because we have become empty nesters or because we lost a beloved spouse and the memories are too ever-present. We move to get closer to the children only to have them transferred and so we consider moving again but are advised not to. We move into our dream house that we can now finally afford but discover it to be too overwhelming. We liked the coziness of our smaller domicile but we can't go back so we move down into something less prestigious but more manageable.

And yes, we move because we have no choice. Our health has forced us to consider a less hostile environment (stairways, horrendous yard work, unfriendly taxation, empty bedrooms, leaky faucets and roofs, peeling paint and tired appliances). We move because some smooth-talking Realtor talked us into selling our house only to discover that now our property (and a few others) are zoned commercial. We move because we've been evicted. We had the wherewithal to make the payments but a forgetter that worked overtime.

We move into the homes of our children and on occasion they move into our home because of a job loss, divorce or some other malevolent occurrence. We could go on but this suffices to say that moving can be a precarious occupation. Beware.

When this senior moment comes, and it will, it pays to be ready. To be ready means to give it some thought beforehand, not at the defining moment. And who can help? Professional movers, of course, but before that, talk with those who have moved recently, with family and friends, with professionals including clergy, and above all, talk to yourself and ask tough questions.

Then you'll be a little more ready to make your move. Or stay put.