Hi all! Francesca Hawley here again. My December was a mixed bag. I’m still unemployed but I had an interview for a job as an adult programming librarian. Things went well and I was offered the job. I’m super excited to get started, but I’m in the midst of trying to get moved across the state because the job is far enough away that commuting won’t work. It would be a 2.5 hour drive each way and that’s waaaaaay out of my comfort zone. Maybe if I was still in my twenties I could make that work but I’m not twenty-something anymore. Grin So basically, I can’t really start my job until I can get moved.
So, I’m home hunting. It looks like I’ll have to rent for a few months at least but I’m having trouble finding a rental that will accept me…AND my two cats. I’m not quite a crazy cat lady, but they are like kids to me. Would YOU move across the state without your kids? Nope. And neither will I.
I’ve traveled to Clinton, IA where I’ll be moving, a number of times in order to find a place. Just as something seems to be workable, it doesn’t work out. I’m getting frustrated and feeling overwhelmed. I just want to find a place and start hauling my stuff across Iowa so I can get started at my new job, but I feel like I’m getting blocked or something. On top of that, I have SO much stuff in the house where I’m at, that I stare at it and don’t know where to start. At times, I’m caught between wanting to scream and wanting to cry. And unfortunately, I don’t have a significant other to turn to right now, so I’m feeling really alone.
I know that moving and starting my job will be the best thing for me, but I’m caught in that place of hurry up and wait. Have you been at that place during a move? How did you handle it? Did things fall into place…eventually? And hey, do YOU know of some place to rent in Clinton, Iowa that will take cats?
Thanks for listening and I’ll keep you posted. Please share your packing and moving advice with me. I need all the help I can get.
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At the point you’re at where everything seems uncontrollable, I start with what you can control. Put your energy into packing and getting rid of stuff while you look for the perfect place. At least you will have some sort of progress. I believe everything falls into place when the time is right, but I really wonder who is controlling that universal clock. They need to speed things up sometimes!
Ari – Thanks for the suggestions and I’m in total agreement about speeding up the universal clock! I am trying to work on the packing but there’s just so much stuff. sigh. Feeling a bit depressed today, but I’ll work on getting a more upbeat mood going. That will help!
Congrats on the job hunt.
Maybe you need to look outside the box…maybe a loft or your perfect home just came on the market. Keep looking, I know you will find your home soon.
Good luck with your move…I don’t envy you cleaning stuff out. I’m not a hoarder but I am a packrat.
Beth – I’m a packrat too and that’s a big part of the problem. I have too much stuff! I want to get rid of it but I feel overwhelmed. Well, I guess I just keep plugging along.
No moving advise here. I have been in the same place for the past 28 years and the thought of moving out, oh I don’t want to even think about that because we have so much junk to get rid of.
Congrats on your job, you are so lucky to find something. There are so few jobs right now. My son just graduated college and so far no luck finding a job.
Congrats on the new job, Francesca. I know you’re juggling a lot of balls right now. Sending good thoughts your way on the move. And, being an anal person with two filing trays filled with bits of paper from 2012, let me suggest you save all your receipts. I think that moving to a new location that far away can be considered a job hunting expense that can be deducted if you itemize expenses on your 1040.
After my DH died and I had all his stuff to dispose of, my sister would keep reminding me, you can eat an entire elephant if you focus on one little bite at a time.
Chin up and thumbs up! Just keep your eye on the end result. You can do it, you have backbone you haven’t even used yet!
Good luck with the house hunting & congrats on the job. I really should have put that the other way around, but you don’t have the first & you do the second.
Label all your boxes like crazy. It’s such a time saver on the other end.
I’m so glad you got the new job, Francesca. I would probably be in the same place you are if we suddenly had to move. And no, we wouldn’t leave our spoiled rotten cat behind either!
Every journey starts with a single step. Maybe one day, the step could be to sort one closet into 3 piles: Keep, Give Away, Throw Away. If you don’t feel like you can get rid of anything, pick out 10 essential items to keep, then look everything else and ask ‘Why do I need to keep this? What will happen if I throw it away? Where will I put it in a new place?’ If you can’t answer the question immediately, there’s a good chance it’s something you don’t really need or want.
Francesca–
Congrats on finding a new job! As for packing advice, I had to clean out my folks huge farm house after their passing and it was a major job. Lots of family heirlooms and all of my dad’s research. But, there was a ton of stuff that could be pitched. When I felt overwhelmed by it all, I chose areas/stuff that I knew could be tossed after a quick check. It took me months to do the job, but I found as long as I was hauling stuff to the dumpster I felt like I was making huge progress. I know it’s hard to let go of stuff, but when in doubt, if it’s not an heirloom or doesn’t have sentimental value and you haven’t used it in years, give yourself permission to get rid of it. Think of this move as not only as a new opp for the job, but as an opp to free your life of the clutter you don’t need! It’s a new beginning in more ways than one!
Good Luck!