We moved into our new house yesterday.  What an ordeal that was.  The cats were NOT happy, although now that they’ve got a sunroom, their tune may be changing fast.  I’ve got a full kitchen to work with, which is nice.  Plus I’ll finally be able to build a real chin-up bar and not be stuck doing my contortionist routine with a doorway chin-up bar.

I don’t care for unpacking, and actively dislike packing, but the moving itself I enjoy.  For me, it’s little more than an athletic event.  Some people pay money to do what is basically a time-constrained move.  Plus, packing the truck is basically Tetris, only you know when you’re getting a long block.  Of course, moves never go according to plan.  They either cost more than expected or they take more time than expected.  In our case, it was the time (I work for the state; going over budget simply isn’t happening).  We’ve got a few dozen boxes left to move, but they fit in a car so we’ll be fine (famous last words, I know).

I like moves for other reasons.  They’re a chance to rebuild your life.  Not unlike New Year’s Day, nobody looks a new living space and doesn’t consider ways they want to change their life.  Whether it’s for the healthier, more productive, or just more fun, when you move, you are presented with the opportunity to basically remake yourself.  You can tear your whole to-do list down and start over.  I think it’s important to start small, make sure you allow time for new practices to become habits, blah blah blah.  But still, it’s a refreshing moment to take a deep breath and make the change or changes you’ve always wanted.

For my part, I’m trying to work a little differently.  I’ve never had a hard time working hard or harder, but smarter has sometimes eluded me.  In fact, I’ve often found myself using hard work as a form of laziness.  It was easier to push futilely against the mountain than figure out how to scale it instead.  But one day after the move and I’m already crystalizing how I want to do things a little bit differently going forward.  It’s a strangely exciting time.  My eyes are still set on the end of the year and for some big things coming.  New books and new stories.  A lot is going on and, now with these new surroundings, I’m hoping for things to go forward all the sooner and all the smoother.

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In other news, I’m in talks with a few Fall conventions.  Nothing is settled yet, but if and when I have some dates, I’ll let you know.  Likewise, too, with new book releases.

In the meantime, it’s a tumultuous time, so please be safe and be good to yourself.  And to each other.