Moving house, I heard recently on the radio, can be as stressful as divorce or the death of a spouse. It can be a time of emotional upheavals, depending on how long you have been in the one place and how attached to it you are.
But it doesn’t have to be a stressful experience. It can be a good opportunity to take stock in your life and in your marriage.
We have moved a lot of in our marriage, the last being just over two years ago. It didn’t quite go according to our plan and there were times keeping a spotless home for inspections was a hassle. But we coped with it together and tried to believe it would happen at the right time. And it did. That move was the best thing, apart from a marrying each other and having our family, we have ever done.
A lot depends on whether your attitude towards the move: if it was an enforced move or one of choice. We had been looking forward to our move for a long time beforehand. We’d started planning it when Mick knew he would retire. That was about five years before the event. From that point, thanks to the internet, I kept an eye on the property market and house prices which we then studied together. We made a list of the things we wanted in the new house. Some were negotiable others were not.
As the time got closer we set about going through all our household stuff. Did I really need dozens of different kinds of cake tins when I rarely cook cakes these days? I decided I didn’t. The excess went to family members or charities. It was the same story with other kitchen gadgets.
Mick went through the garage, which has always been his domain. It’s amazing how much junk we’d collected on the off chance that maybe some today we’d find a use for it. Things like half used tins of paint that were so old it had developed scum and we couldn’t even remember what had been painted that color. We had a good laugh about that.
Yes, moving house can be stressful. It can also be a fun time if you and your spouse are in agreement and keep a sense of humor.
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