Life is about to get chaotic
(click on images to view them full size)
We’re moving.
Moving to the country from congested inner city.
September first will mark two years since I retired and those who have been following this blog will know that it has not been a smooth or easy transition for me. I feel like I am finally finding my feet and relaxing into my new role, so what would possess us and in particular me to agree to move. A very good question! Life is definitely about to get very busy and chaotic as we pack up our current home and move to the new one.
We have been talking about making a move for a few years now and it has been quite a process to get to this point, but I’m excited about the next chapter in our lives. Most people my age are contemplating downsizing and this move does not qualify for that - it is more of a lateral move, but to a location outside of the city in a more rural setting.
How did we get to this decision?
Kory and I started exploring alternate living location options several years before I retired and pre-COVID we were even contemplating a move to one of the gulf islands off Vancouver, British Columbia, but COVID and the move to work from home resulted in a housing price boom that made this option much less attractive.
Nature trails are important to us.
We have been spending some time consolidating and articulating our values and what we want to be doing for the next 5 - 10 years. We are very aligned in what is important to us which includes being close to nature, close community of friends, being able to explore our creative pursuits and living a more relaxed lifestyle. We currently live inner city Calgary in a lovely neighbourhood, but the volume of infill construction and increased traffic and noise has really made us rethink remaining in our current home.
I always look at decisions like this as being either moving away from something undesirable or moving to obtain something that is missing. This was a unique situation because we really enjoy our current home and there were no strong drivers to move, but more a desire to have a more relaxed quality of life close to nature.
This was a great place to approach this decision as it meant we were not in a rush and we were focused on finding the right fit.
Home is where the heart is
Kory and I approach house hunting very differently which can sometimes be frustrating, but we actually have very complimentary skills. Despite my engineering background, I focus on living space flow, functionality of key living spaces (like kitchens, living rooms and master bedroom), general feel of the home and whether I can see us living there. Kory with his practical trades background focuses on the bones of the house, the electrical and plumbing systems, the roof, insulation and security. Our real estate agent quickly learned that the mechanical room was Kory’s favourite place to spend time getting to know the home. A cramped or chaotic mechanical room did not bode well for his impression of the house.
Black Capped Chickadee.
After viewing houses we discuss our impressions and highlight any concerns from our perspective which often leads to some interesting debates, but we appreciate each other’s perspective and recognize that the combined impressions usually result in a pretty straightforward decision about whether the house is suitable.
In fact with the home that we bought, we both knew there was something special after about 10 minutes and this led us to be much more thorough in our assessment. It backs onto a green space/ravine where deer and other wildlife wander freely and the area is very quiet with a tight knit community. There are a lot of walking trails and birds are abundant in the area which was important to us both.
Moving logistics/challenges
Roxy in her element - sunshine.
It is interesting that while the whole logistics of moving (i.e., packing up, moving and then setting up a new home) creates a period of time that is out of normal routines and can be quite chaotic, our biggest concern is around how our cat Roxy will handle this transition period and then adjust to the new home.
Roxy will turn eight this summer and she is very bonded to us, so we feel that as long as we keep certain constants for her that she will adjust. We also believe that her resilience and flexibility with new situations which has resulted from our frequent travels in the car, camper van travel and staying in hotels will help her to adjust more readily.
Having said that, if anyone has moved with a pet I’d love to hear any tips that you have that might make the move go smoother for Roxy.
Working on maintaining balance
As I have written, I have spent a lot of time and effort over the last few years on mindfulness and being intentional about how I show up and maintain balance. Moving house is one of the top life stressors that people go through and it is especially important to focus on self care, being good to those around me and giving myself grace when I inevitably get overwhelmed.
I feel that I have developed some really good tools and resources/support networks to enable me to navigate this transition better than I have done in the past. I have also identified some things that are really important for me to maintain during the next few months, such as working out, eating healthy (I have already started cooking meals to freeze in order to prevent the fast food grab that often occurs during moves, however I won’t beat myself up if we have to do that occasionally).
The next couple of months
I’m not sure exactly how the next couple of months will play out because while I’ve moved houses seven times, I have always been working full-time and had to shoe horn the move in between work. It will be refreshing to have time to get ready for the move, however I am not fooling myself that this will be a walk in the park either.
I have blog posts planned out for a few weeks in advance, so I am intending to continue to publish this blog through the move and even include some of our experiences during this time (they might be short ones!). I’m excited to share the local wildlife photography from our backyard and neighbourhood area.
Have you made a recent major life change either in homes, jobs, or family situation? What have you done to maintain balance through this transition - please share your thoughts in the comments below or send me a note through the Contact Me button.
Ultimately home is where you feel like you belong.
I hope you’ll come back soon, share a cuppa, relax and enjoy more of my musings.
