A tale of 2 moves….Part 2

This week is the second half of how folks react to the prospect of moving. Last week we summarized the experiences of the reluctant mover. Some relish it as a new adventure and some resist even though they initiated the process on their own.

What lessons do you glean from these experiences?

Chapter 2 – The New Adventure Mover.

With Ms. M. (92) the story is quite different.  She knew the logic of making a decision to move to a Retirement Residence, still, she did not want to leave her home of many years. It had been owned by her father and was once a summer cottage for her as a child. 

In July 2008, Ms. M hired Trusted Transitions to help her downsize starting in October.

After many discussions about the timing of the move, Ms. M. decided in April that she had to schedule the move and set the date of June 23, 2009.

Between October and June, every Thursday, 2 hour weekly visits were scheduled. Being practical, Ms. M. knew what she most wanted to keep. A floor plan was created early in the process.  Every week a room would be tackled and decisions were made regarding what to keep, what to find a new owner for or what to dispose of. Her generosity came in to play as she gave the most special things to friends and family.

Each week was somewhat emotional as more items left the house. Though looking forward to the meals being prepared for her after all these years she was saddened to leave all of her cooking and baking materials behind. The long downsizing period she had given herself (9 months) allowed her to accept parting with them.    

On moving day, she stayed at her home to enjoy the house one last time. Her treasures preceded her to the Retirement Residence. Driving herself, she arrived mid-afternoon once everything was in its rightful place. 

She opened the door and went “ohhhh” and slowly entered drinking everything in.  She enjoyed rearranging the furniture a few times in the first week to truly make it her own.

Ms. M. still talks about how she loves her home of so many years but she is quite “comfortable” in her new suite.  After 6 months she has made many new friends and is pleased her old neighbours still visit to play cards and enjoy dinner with her in the dining room.

Ms. M. allowed herself to time to deal with the transition and what it meant to her. She allowed herself time to make decisions on what to do with her possessions and be comfortable with her decisions. She eased herself into the transition and could merge old with new.