This morning we handed over the all the keys… the keys to the apartment, to the storage closet, to the laundry room, to the outlet on our parking space. After months of working to shed our belongings and a very intense last week of moving out what was left and cleaning, cleaning and more cleaning, it’s almost difficult to understand that we have officially closed this chapter of our lives. I’m sure it will continue to sink in over the coming days and weeks.
There is still work to do. It’s truly amazing how much stuff is actually left even when the apartment feels empty. You think, all of this will fit into one last box, maybe two. And suddenly the car is full and you leave mamma and kids on the playground while you take a trip to the secondhand store before the family fits in the car again. But not everything that was left was donated and we have borrowed a little space at church for the things that still need to be sorted.
Meanwhile, we’ve been living in the camper for nearly a week and there are naturally still some kinks to work out there too. We have new routines to find and develop and it’s going to take time. I’m learning to accept the process and to allow all of us to learn and grow into the situation. This has generally not been easy for me – I want everything to be “right” as soon as possible, preferably now. But I’m finding more patience and grace than I expected. This is just one of many ways that this journey is stretching and shaping me more into the person I’d like to be.
We are tired. The frustrating thing with cleaning a place you’ve moved out of is that you don’t get to enjoy the fruit of your labor. All this work for other people to enjoy. The nice thing about it is that you don’t have to be there to see it get dirty again. All that work will so soon be erased. But we are lighter. We felt it first last week as the month ended and we didn’t have any bills to pay. And now the lightness of our key rings after we gave back all those keys, and the responsibilities and obligations that went with them. We have everything we need, most of our favorite things, and not too much more than that. There is less to clean, less to maintain, less to keep track of. There will now be more time, more energy, and more focus on that which is most important.
We have taken a huge step in pursuit of our big dream. I’m not sure we’ll understand just how big of a step this is until we’re looking back on it later. It’s certainly difficult to grasp right now. We’ll write and post more as we process everything. We’ll write more about the process of moving out and share pictures of how we’ve lived in the last few weeks and how we’re living now. For now, we’re taking a step back and savoring the moment.
Thanks for rejoicing with us in the start of a new chapter! Thanks for all the ways you’ve supported us on the journey thus far. Today is the end… but also just the beginning!
