Movin'-and-a-Shakin'

Hi everybody,

I’m settled into my new place in Southeast Portland and just loving it. I’m able to walk to work now, and my driving distance to Gus’s is cut in half. And what a time to move! The days are getting longer and longer, and I get to explore all these new walking routes: new homes/architecture, trees, cracked sidewalks, storefronts, people. There’s something about moving that is both exhilarating and melancholic; it’s truly a yin-yang type of experience. You go through boxes, smile at pictures, toss out some old things, give away other things. You downsize and wax nostalgic simultaneously. Then you go to the store and spend too much money on mops or dish racks or cutlery or whatever.

I haven’t lived alone in about 12 years – whether it’s been a boyfriend, family member, or roommate, I just hadn’t found the right opportunity (and price range) to nestle into my own space. But then a few forces of fate aligned, and suddenly I’m the proud renter of this adorable studio with hardwood floors and big windows and nice neighbors and terrific energy. Gus came over Saturday and we hung up all my pictures, the final touch on settling in. I’d only given myself a week after moving to unpack, clean, and organize – I’m not someone who can sit around and stare at boxes with black marker handwriting that says “Kitchen” or “This-N-That.” (I actually labeled a few boxes “This-N-That,” with numbers after them.) There’s something about silence, about solitude, that lets feelings seep in differently. It’s mostly a beautiful, freeing feeling, but admittedly there’s something a touch scary or sad about being alone in a living space at first; we’re forced to deal with ourselves in a unique fashion. There’s less emotional static getting in the way of our true natures, and our hang-ups, and our lovely and necessary quirks.

My whole family is moving at the same time, by the way. And even if I believed in coincidences, there’s no denying that this means something. What exactly is TBD. My mom is selling her home in Northeast Portland and moving to Southeast; Jordan will rent an apartment or house with a friend once Mom’s house is sold; and my brother Aaron and his girlfriend, Stephenie, recently bought a condo in Brooklyn, NY and are moving this July. Lots of transition! In some cosmic way, our emotional transitions are what’s really at stake, and the physical processes of our moves are just backdrops for our souls’ evolution. That’s how I see it anyway!