October 10, 2011
Moving is not for the faint of heart, nor the easily emotional cry baby mess....not that I would know anything about the latter, but I have heard. To be clear I am not talking about moving from one city to another, going away to college or moving out of your apartment to a new home....I am talking about moving with a capital M. Moving one, two hours or 3 states away from your home - now that my friend is real moving.
Anywhere you can not get to within 15 minutes is not really moving. Whether you agree or disagree with me, moving is a difficult pill to swallow and a big change for children, adults and pets....okay, not really pets, but adults for sure, and possibly children. To quote a good friend when I told her we were moving she said, "I never meant I did not think you would not sell your house, I just never thought you would really move." Her and me both.
When I agreed, or as my husband recalls it insisted we move this year instead of next, I had the biggest rosiest glasses on you can ever imagine. I just assumed it would be one big fat exciting adventure and I would be welcomed with big arms, a picnic, a parade and neighbors begging to have us for dinner....okay, maybe not the parade, but I thought it would be a big love fest.
Also, I did think it would be the best, best, bestest thing to ever happen to the Lentzner clan. Which reminds me of that quote that I now get, "If you want to make God laugh....tell him your plans". I am guessing the big guy up in the sky has been laughing it up pretty good since I relocated my life, my family , my home and my business to El Dorado Hills. Shame on me, I was the one who scoffed those with a birth plan, knowing that was just a crock. I should have known better....really I should have.
Now moving the business has not been as hard as I originally thought it would be. It has had a few hiccups (line NOT transferred to new area code for 30 days) and a few snafus (checks mailed to wrong address) but it has been easier than expected. Taking on extra responsibilities until we hire employees has kept me busy and more involved in the day to day operations of Jamie's Painting & Design. It has probably kept me more sane than I care to admit.
So, if you are in the mood or market to move, here are a few easy things to help anyone that is moving their life, children, pets....oh and their business:
Change is Not Easy....and Not for Wimps
Have you ever woken up day after day confused, disoriented and not sure where you were? Have you ever repeatedly gotten lost just coming home from the grocery store? The only thing I can compare it to is waking up into a dorm room 3 or 4 days after moving in and you can not stop signing that Talking Head song...."and you wake up with a beautiful house, with a beautiful wife and you ask yourself, how did I get here?" No?...then you have not moved.
I will be the first to acknowledge once again that this move was one of the most impulsive things I have ever done in my entire life. As hard as it has been on me, it has been super easy on my kids. Never, ever underestimate how easily your children will adopt to change....really, really trust me on this one. I did not trust friends, family and strangers....children can adapt way easier than any adult.
Make New Friends, But Keep the Old
Being an ex-girl scout, and ex-sorority girl and an ex-Foster City native this one is crucial to your sanity. Don't lose site of who matters and who has been there for you. Not to say that there are probably a few acquaintances and friends that you will not keep in touch with, for the most part make the effort. These are the people that know you for who you are, knew you back when...they will always understand who you are before you moved.
On that note it will be shocking who keeps in touch and who does not. It will also be shocking how you have affected friends and how the hole you left will be very hard to fill. I would suggest you do your very best to keep these people in your fold, find every way you can to make sure that even though the friendship changes....it never ends.
Being a creature of, well I would say comfort, but that is not what I am. I am more a creature of comfort with my friends. I love, love my girlfriends close, far, Facebook, High school, Grammar School....I love me some friends. So, keeping them once you move can be challenging - but I highly recommend you do everything you can to keep them. Because, for me I would be nothing without them.
Don't Be Dissapointed, Be Patient
Face it, people will disappoint you and things will happen in your personal life and your work life that do not make sense. If you are in the midst of a major life change....then I suggest you let it go. This is not easy, trust me and I am not an expert, nor have I let certain things go. However, I have learned to live within the moment and realize that it is just life.
Last weekend my sister and Aunt came to visit and we had a great time. We laughed, we shopped and we wine tasted. It is always fun with my relatives, and this time was no different. However my Aunt did put life in perspective for me. She bought me a bottle of perfume and left it in my bathroom with this message written on a post it for me:
Jamie
Remember you are learning patience
I love you
Sheshi (then she added a little cat face that she loves to do & I can't do on the computer)
I also like to have things done quickly, like an HGTV makeover show. Or better yet an episode of Extreme Home Make Over or any of those shows that works fast. Nothing goes that quickly in real life....nothing. So when I am down or sad I just think of this little simple post it my Aunt left me and I smile and I try to stay patient.
One important thing to remember is not to forget your friends when you move. Don't just use them for help moving but keep in touch afterward.
Posted by: Kyle Smith | January 10, 2012 at 08:54 AM
Great advice if we had used our friends. We hired movers to help us and that was okay, except for a number of broken (and even lost) items.
Posted by: Jamie Lentzner | January 11, 2012 at 01:50 PM
Moving can very much affect your emotional state. There's so much work to do in packing and leaving some things behind that it can be pretty draining. However, nowadays, it's become a little easier to keep in touch thanks to the power of the internet. It's a big blessing to have tech like this and blogs, right?
Posted by: Randy Robinson | February 17, 2012 at 06:18 AM