Whether you go to college or not, your 20's are probably a time where you do a lot of moving from one place to another. Rent goes up, roommate tensions get high, internships end and job opportunities in other cities come calling. Just when you’re starting to feel settled in a new place, your life gets uprooted once again and you have to pack up and get moving. It’s stressful and exciting, and it’s definitely a whirlwind. These are the things you think at least once a day when the process commences:
1. “Why do I have so much clothing?”
On any given day, you feel like you have nothing to wear to school/work/the bar. But when the time comes to put all of those clothes into boxes and bags, you start wishing you only had enough outfits for a week. Do you need this many pairs of underwear? Did you have to buy that cute top that you only wore once? It’s unending.
2. “Why did I buy this?”
Let’s face it—you have more stuff than you thought you did. It piles up over time as your interests change and develop, and it’s hard to let go of the things you spent all those hard-earned, minimum wage dollars on. But as you're sorting through your memories and belongings, you’ll pull up a bunch of stuff that you have no use for, and probably never had any use for.
3. “Do I have to clean this place?”
You’re leaving. You don’t really want to fix up an apartment that you aren’t going to live in anymore. Also, you don’t really care how nice it looks for the next person. The problem is, you’ll probably lose that security deposit if you don’t do it. So you grumble to yourself as you Spackle and steam clean the carpets (things you never did when you were actually living there).
4. “This is fun!”
Every once in awhile, you’ll get an upswing in mood and a surge of excitement at the prospect of decorating a new place and starting a new life.
5. “This is not fun.”
For every upswing, there’s a downswing. Moving is very stressful, and it seems like your to-do list is never going to end. Don’t worry – you’ll get through it.
6. “Where did I put my...?"
You might not be the most systematized person in the world, but everyone has his or her organized chaos. Usually, you know where pretty much everything you need is. But when you’re packing, everything gets pushed around or lost. It’ll make you want to pull your hair out.
7. “This is not going to fit in my car.”
The first pile of processions you decide you need will probably be too many. It’s important to learn to pack light and only take what you need. A new life means new things, and it’s OK to leave some of your old life behind.
8. “How long is it going to take me to find my way around?”
If you’re moving to a new town or city, or even to college for the first time, it’s going to mean getting lost a few times. There will be new roads and new traffic patterns, and it’ll take you a while to find the best route to the grocery store. It’s just part of the adventure.
9. “I can’t say goodbye.”
You have friends and family. As the time comes to say your goodbyes, you get overwhelmingly sad. Through good times and bad, these are your people. It’s practically impossible to turn your back on that, but you have no choice.
10. “I’ll miss this place.”
Besides the people you love, there will also be places you’ll be leaving behind. No matter how small that apartment was, you made memories there. You slept there, smiled there, and cried there. It's a part of you.
11. “I will not miss this place.”
Seconds after you look at your kitchen fondly and think of how much you’ll miss it, you’ll stub your toe on the corner of the wall for the millionth time and that fondness will disappear. No place is without its faults, and you’ll get defiant. You’re getting a new place, and this one is old news.
Despite the perils of moving, most of us will probably do it several times in our lives. There are greener roads and brighter pastures ahead, and you’ll get the hang of it in no time.
