We can never know about the days to come
But we think about them anyway
And I wonder if I’m really with you now
Or just chasing after some finer day
Anticipation
Anticipation
Is making me wait
Is keeping me waiting. (Carly Simon 1971)
Anticipation is in the air. For those of you not in North Carolina know that we are feeling the change in the air, seeing the change in color & light, hearing the bustle at stores & gas stations. What will happen? And when? A recent Facebook comment said “Waiting for a hurricane is like being chased by a turtle”. Agreed. Meanwhile my mood & energy level changes with the barometric pressure. http://nhc.noaa.gov
Anticipation hovers in our house as well. Last week I took on the tasks of contacting the international moving company after talking to the Mexican consulate in Raleigh. We now have an appointment this coming Wednesday to meet with a “surveyor”, someone from the local moving company who’ll come in & go room to room with us to calculate how much we want to move, how many “lift vans” it will take (Ajijic mover uses this # to calculate charges) 
& what it might weigh (local mover uses this #). We’re already at a ballpark figure of several thousand dollars so we have begun to rethink how to do this.
Options: 1) Sell EVERYTHING & fly to Guadalajara. I know I can’t do this. Buy a car in Ajijic. 2) Put some things in storage. We’ve talked to a lot of folks who’ve done this then came back & gave it all away. Pack as many suitcases as possible & fly into Guadalajara. Load those suitcases up again when we come back to meet our granddaughter. Buy a car in Ajijic. 3) Keep only what will fit in Ben’s Toyota Sienna van & get rid of the rest. Drive to Laredo, Texas & hire a concierge to help us go through customs. 4) Drive a small Uhaul van to Laredo & offload to a moving company. Hire a concierge to help us through customs & drive us to Ajijic. WHEW! Everyone of these sounds overwhelming. By next Wednesday we will have a good handle on exactly what we WANT to take to Mexico. By the end of the week we’ll have a close estimate of cost. By the 24th we will have to make a decision about which way to go.
Meanwhile, I struggle through the multiple layers of my office full of aromatherapy oils, books, supplies, files, trying to figure out what I can possibly leave behind. I’ve gotten rid of so much already. Like peeling back the layers of an onion. I wrote a poem years ago that started like this-ENOUGH. MORE IS MORE THAN ENOUGH. Too bad I didn’t take my own advice.
We walked this morning in the early light. Passing by schools that are closed, crossing streets that are relatively quiet, businesses with chairs pulled in & lights off. There is very little color in the streets here now. The green will fade away soon. The blossoms will drop. Moving into winter has always been hard for me. That is why I need the color in the streets of Mexico! Anticipating………..
This is a process that I have never endeavored upon. It sounds like a fascinating process. I guess so many objects have a tender and sweet sentiment (or a possibility) and that is what comes up once you think of letting it go. But then I guess once the object is sold or given away, whatever it was that the object brought up gets forgotten. It sounds kind of freeing and emptying. I guess the idea that photos are the main thing to keep makes sense.
As you know, I have moved to different countries and across continents several times. With my parents,we went the “take everything in a huge container” route. The problem is that lots of what you take isn’t necessary or useful or appropriate in a different country. On my own, I have mostly done some variation of Option 1. I think it works best. Just take the few things that are most important. What makes a place feel like home to you. Your favorite clothes that make you feel the most you. Pack a few things in a couple big boxes and snail mail them to your new address so you will be there by the time they arrive. You are starting a new life. Your tastes and lifestyle will change. Don’t try to drag your old life along with you. Enjoy populating your new life with things of that culture. Just my two cents. I know how scary it is! Praying for wisdom and peace for you both.
Thank you for your wisdom. It’s interesting to see what we hold on to. Our August trip was partly about figuring out what works there as opposed to here. It helped. Though part of my motivation is to “recreate” myself, there are objects of comfort that I’ve yet to let go of. (And clothes…)
I think the choices are almost overwhelming. I sat down and had a cup of tea.
And that is how I feel today, September 17th. Grateful though I am for our minor bit of inconvenience in this storm, my soul is motivated by SUNSHINE!
I have heard people who lost everything in fires or floods say that pictures are the biggest thing they miss. And you can get those stored digitally! Steve told me recently (after a trip to CA) next time he travels far he is not taking clothes and will buy what he needs at a thrift store and give it back when he leaves. You are definitely challenging yourselves at a very deep level. Spartan living is often the cure and slowly the treasures start collecting again!
We’ve done a lot of letting go so far & there is much farther to go. Like peeling the layers of an onion. It does bring home what is important to you be it objects or events or people.