My wife Beth and I are moving back to the States in about 9 days. We've been in Zagreb Croatia for right around 4 years. She had some good thoughts to share:
In the middle of my 9th move in 13 years, and here are a few things I've over the years (for the record, I'm not claiming to be an expert here. I know there are numerous others - military and missionary in particular - who have done this many more times than I):
- moving still sucks, no matter how many times you do it.
- there really is a mystical place where things disappear. I've been through all our belongings, and have multiple shoes and socks still missing their mates.
- no matter how hard you try, you will always accumulate more crap.
- the amount of stuff I'm willing to throw away is inversely proportional to the amount of time left to pack.
- being forced to pare down my material possessions reminds me that this earth is not my home. It's a healthy (if painful) reminder to live for eternity.
- cats really are crazy, but also great entertainment in the midst of the chaos. :-)
Feel free to add your own insight if you've discovered some things that haven't been mentioned. This is by no means an exhaustive list.
In the middle of my 9th move in 13 years, and here are a few things I've over the years (for the record, I'm not claiming to be an expert here. I know there are numerous others - military and missionary in particular - who have done this many more times than I):
- moving still sucks, no matter how many times you do it.
- there really is a mystical place where things disappear. I've been through all our belongings, and have multiple shoes and socks still missing their mates.
- no matter how hard you try, you will always accumulate more crap.
- the amount of stuff I'm willing to throw away is inversely proportional to the amount of time left to pack.
- being forced to pare down my material possessions reminds me that this earth is not my home. It's a healthy (if painful) reminder to live for eternity.
- cats really are crazy, but also great entertainment in the midst of the chaos. :-)
Feel free to add your own insight if you've discovered some things that haven't been mentioned. This is by no means an exhaustive list.