In reply to my friends and acquaintances who have asked: Yes, I did move again.
My friend Diane said I’ve moved so many times she has to keep changing her address book, so I suggested she just pencil me in. Until her move to the condo, she’d stayed put in her farmhouse in Durham for 45 years. So I guess my living in three places for the past 30 years seems excessive.
“But what about Lewiston?” Diane asks. Yes, four years there.
“And what about Yarmouth?” she persists. Five years there.
But in my defense, when I had changed jobs, I changed locations. And since I have usually rented, I don’t think of apartments as permanent locations.
Actually, I dislike the chaos of moving, but sometimes moving is better than staying. My father used to say my earlier moves were in the style of Ma and Pa Kettle. He’d rent a U-Haul, and I’d have not much organized. We’d gather after he arrived.
Then I got movers. Things went a lot better, and I started to learn the art of packing and labeling. And even though I downsize before I pack, it always seems as if I could have done more after I unpack those boxes and see what’s in them.
I keep seeing my set of china every time I open the cupboard doors and wonder when and if I’ll ever be using it for a dinner party.
Since last August I have lived in three places: my family home; a furnished, short-lease condo; and an apartment. These moves have been exhausting but necessary. I sold the home, needed a place to stay quickly and then had to move out when the tenant returned.
This last move was easy. I had my belongings in storage, so they were moved to my new place. And instead of getting rid of a lot, I have had to buy some new items to decorate.
I have moved just down the street, and I wonder if I’m inching my way toward the bridge, since I lived in Portland for almost 20 years.
But this new location gives me a glimpse and smell of the ocean from my back door.
I can see the Coast Guard station at the end of the street. It was there that Jack McPhillips, a friend, neighbor and former Coast Guard member, held a graduation party in his honor after graduating from the University of Southern Maine. It took place during a blizzard, but nothing could stop the party, and no one could party like Jack.
And I only have to drive a short distance to my Zumba class, the class being both a joy and a punishment – a joy because the instructor, Heather, is so fun, and a punishment for my poor aching joints.
I have no plans to move, but I know I will move again someday. But unlike my former neighbor, who said his next move would be to Calvary Cemetery, I’m not ready for that kind of permanence.
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