M-Day

Today was the day when all the pondering, planning, and packing translated into action.  Sometime after 11 in the morning the movers came and without much fanfare began loading the container destined for the prairies.

I must've been visibly affected by the whole endeavour because at one point the crew foreman asked me how I was doing, he thought I was being very pensive.  Of course he was right, I was pensive.  Eleven years in one place; deciding to move in a relatively short timespan; the pain of leaving loved ones behind; the unknown of a new city, not to mention the risk of starting a new job.  These factors are all weighing on me.

I'm amazed at how easy some people find the whole moving business.  One of my friends, who lived in Tokyo and New York over the past 15 years and recently returned to the Lower Mainland, thought it strange that I used the word grieving to describe the process I'm in the middle of.  In her view the focus ought to be on what's ahead of me (the challenge, the next step, the way forward), not on what lay behind me (the memories, the experiences).

Perhaps I'm not as much an optimist as I thought, but at the same time, it seems strange to me to not mourn a move such as this one.  It seems to indicate a lack of attachment to place, for one, and this is something that I - even with all my complaints against my city - cannot stay clear of.  I have attachment to place, and I don't think that's a bad thing.

By 2pm the container was packed and gone.  The only items left were a suitcase of personal belongings, which I will take with me to Saskatoon.  I also still have my bike, a chair, and my phone, all of which I hope to sell in the next week or so.

I was unable to sublet my apartment.  This means that last night was the last time I slept in my apartment on 10th.

Lord, thank you for all the experiences - good and bad - of my stay here.  Bless the next person/s who will call this place their home.  Amen.