I grew up with a restless father – we were always moving from one big city to another, even at times from one country to another. My college years were just as peripatetic, with many moves – some for good reason, and some because I was young and didn’t know any better. By the time I was married and with small children to raise, I was ready to be in one place for a long time, at last. But…jobs kept us on the move regardless of my readiness to call one place home for longer than a couple of years at a stretch. I learned to be very good at packing and even better at unpacking: I could (and did) set up our household (with pictures on the wall, of course) in three days flat.
It took three moves just in northern New Jersey to get us to finally settle down, but we at last did, and then I had the luxury of not having to even think about moving for eighteen long years. So, I guess I was out of practice for the move to our farm…and it showed. We arrived on the heels of our moving van, and I was completely gobsmacked. The contents of the van were unloaded with blinding speed by five super efficient men who needed to know, asap, “where does this go?”. This should have been a simple enough question, but, as I said, I was out of practice.
When the truck finally roared out of our driveway and down our valley, I just knew that the old “three days to unpack, with pictures” standard was a thing of the past. I spent move in day trying to get my bearings and navigate the narrow pathways between towers of boxes (most of them, or so it seemed to me, labeled “books”), and trying to organize my thinking and prioritize. It was beastly hot. Our move involved several phases, one of which was to deliver furniture and belongings to each of our adult children in three different Brooklyn apartments on a blistering Sunday afternoon. All of which is to say that I was not making much progress in the unpacking department.
The day after move in day was more of the same. By late afternoon, drenched with sweat (and perhaps a few tears), I was ready to close up the farmhouse and find a nice bed and breakfast on a lake somewhere for a few days’ moving recovery time.
Then, the skies opened up and we had a brief summer shower – one of those lovely summer surprises, with the sun still shining in a small part of a still-blue sky. And then, there was this:
Just when the human spirit needs it, sometimes, Mother Nature comes along to give one lightness and hope. That afternoon, I needed both.
Going to Walden.z 
Moving is the pits and even worse in roasting temperatures. I’m so glad that Mother Nature came through with such a lovely surprise and lift. What a gorgeous view you have!
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But you did it! And now you can take your time to make it the world you want to be in every single day. The Farm. Your farm. 😍
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And there you were to notice it.
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What a photo and what a view! Every time I see a photo of your farm, I think it must be the most beautiful place in the world. I moved frequently growing up too–only in my case it was a restless mother. As an adult, being settled feels like a great indulgence to me!
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This move is quite different than those of the past. In many ways, it would be a shame if it only took you only three days to be up and running. Take time to breathe and find how you and your things fit into your lovely new world.
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My favorite line “Mother Nature comes along to give one lightness and hope.” The blessings that we never see coming fourth from the homes and as important the locations we choose.
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Tara, moving is always a stressful situation. When I moved out of my district office upon retirement, it took me several months of packing and it was only one extremely large room and a storage closet. Unpacking took years, I hate to say. I am such a procrastinator and I guess an unorganized person. I can’t imagine packing and unpacking a house so I am trying to declutter now. I hope you are happy with your move to the country. It is so gorgeous at your farm. I wish you many happy days of living.
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Finishing up the statement: …living in New York State. I think NYS is one of the prettiest states. There is so much to see and so many different areas. I have never been to your farm area. It looks so lovely. Peace to you.
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Moving is both physically and emotionally draining. We are not moving but because of our remodeling we have stacks of boxes in different rooms of the house that we must navigate. Glad that rainbow was there to brighten your day and let you know that at its end is a pot of gold.
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I’ve been watching your journey on Instagram and that view made it seem smoother. You just retired. You have time – stretch that three day goal – don’t make it three hundred days. Enjoy, find your spaces and keep looking for those signs it’s all going to be okay.
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What a hopeful sign that picture is! I am also in the midst of moving and have moved often and feel like I never get better at it. I moved out of my last apartment in June after 4 years there and never made it to the pictures on the wall stage-oops! My goal is to do better with my next apartment (and I begin the search for it today).
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The rainbow is magnificent, and from Instagram I saw you now had some rain now. As stressful as the unpacking is, especially when you feel out of practice, take your time, leave if you need for a while, you will get it finished, and soon forget it. Just looking out of your window or going for a walk with your dog – you live in an amazing place.
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I’m sure it’s such a relief to you to have all that moving behind you. That rainbow was the perfect welcome home!
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