Now, that we’ve finally completed our move, I feel like I can breathe again. For the past few months, if I wasn’t cleaning, organizing, packing, or moving boxes, I felt like I was wasting time.
They say moving is one of the most stressful things you will ever do in your lifetime—I’m a believer. It’s not just stressful on us as individuals, but on the entire family. We lived like gypsies for a period of time in between, looking for things that had already been packed, wondering where we packed certain items, sleeping on mattresses in our old home without bed frames. But now that our move is complete, I’m hoping to get back to basics.
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It’s my daughter’s senior year of high school, and while the pandemic has changed everything leading to a canceled prom and an uncertain graduation ceremony, it’s a time that I want to be present for her. She is entering dance competition season, her last, and I want to be present for that. She is applying for jobs in our new neighborhood, and I want to support her in this quest. I know my time with her is finite, and dropping everything when she needs me feels like the path I want to be on right now.
As winter morphs into what we all know is a magical time—the North Carolina spring—I want to spend even more time outside, exercising, walking with my family and friends and my dog. I want to explore our new neighborhood and discover the richest coffee, the most delicious pizza, and tucked away restaurants that I’ve never been to.
In short, I want to get back to engaging in this thing we call life instead of worrying about the tedious domestic chores that weigh us down or the work emergencies created by others that don’t really have anything to do with our daily productivity or happiness. Being present in our day-to-day lives is a choice. I’ve been sleepwalking through it for several months in order to reach our intended goal. Now that it’s finally here, I’m ready for what comes next. I’m not exactly sure where this next chapter will lead, but I know I’m ready to turn the page…
Amanda is the mom of two, a reporter for WRAL-TV and the author of several book including some on motherhood. Find her here on Mondays.